Alice Waters ripped up her front garden in March to plant a big patch of lettuce, the thing she most worried she wouldn't be able to get enough of during the pandemic. One of her favorite lettuces is rocket, so this preparation makes use of a late summer abundance of it, but any nice crisp lettuce leaves will work.
To make the lemony vinaigrette, use Alice's Mortar and Pestle to pound a clove of garlic with a big pinch of sea salt until it is a translucent paste in the bowl. Using a microplane zester, zest the rind of a whole organic Meyer lemon into the mortar and cover with all the juice from the lemon (if you can't find Meyer lemons, use the zest and juice of half an orange and half a lemon).
Allow the lemon juice and pounded garlic mixture to sit for fifteen minutes so that the acid mellows the spicy bite of the raw garlic. While the garlic and lemon are macerating, use a small serrated paring knife to neatly slice a handful of Sungold cherry tomatoes (or any small sweet variety of cherry tomato) in halves, cutting through their stem scars. Scatter these over four big handfuls of washed organic (or homegrown) rocket leaves arranged in Alice's Salad Bowl.
Finally, whisk a couple glugs of good extra virgin olive oil into your lemon juice. You want about twice as much oil as acid—taste as you go along, correcting with more oil or salt. It should taste bright. Dress your leaves (starting with half the vinaigrette, and adding more only if you need it. Leftover salad dressing will keep for a day in a sealed container in the fridge). Serve immediately!
