I stole the idea for this dish from a restaurant in Notting Hill called Pizza East. A fairly amazing establishment, and not just because I saw Mark Strong there. They serve up pizzas and delicious cured meats but it was their vegetarian offerings that I became acquainted with. I was blown away by the quality of each dish, there were fried battons of polenta, pomegranates, purees and an assortment of complex meat-free arrangements but the stand-out plate was the simplest of all, some leaves and avocado drizzled with a vinaigrette.
I like to serve mine up with a sweet and tangy honey-mustard dressing because, unlike last week’s warm halloumi salad, this salad is all about the dressing and it needs something a little more robust.
You don’t really need a recipe for this one. Buy some baby gem, cos or romaine hearts and arrange them on the plate, scatter over some chunks of ripe, creamy avocado and drizzle with the dressing. To make that, get a jar and put in a small spoonful of runny honey, a spoon of white-wine or cider vinegar, a spoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of seeded mustard. Give it an almighty shake and watch as the ingredient emulsify to create an almost creamy dressing. Drizzle, season with salt and freshly cracked pepper and you have yourself a very worthy side dish.