Dressings and raw vegetables

Best Olive Oil for Salads

Match the oil to the leaves. Delicate butterhead, mâche and shaved fennel want a soft Arbequina or Taggiasca; bitter chicory, arugula and radicchio can take a peppery Koroneiki or Picual that would flatten anything gentler. A standard vinaigrette is three parts oil to one part acid, salted before the oil goes in so the salt dissolves. Dress at the last moment: oil-coated leaves wilt within minutes, and a salad that sat dressed is a different, sadder dish.