Ubuntu’s Leaves and Things Salad

There were many things that inspired me during my recent lunch at Ubuntu, the vegetables-only restaurant in Napa. One of them was its simple Today's Leaves and Things green salad that came out looking so beautiful and tasted so refreshing with its light dressing and little bits of locally grown greens.

So I decided to replicate this at home. I started with a trip to the Sunday Temescal Farmers Market near my home in Oakland, and picked up a bag of mixed greens with edible flowers. That took care of the “Today's Leaves” part.

Then I hunted for baby carrots and figs, the seasonal ingredients Ubuntu added to its salad. None of the farmers had baby carrots, especially not the baby heirloom carrots that Ubuntu probably grows in its own garden. So I went to my nearby Piedmont Grocery and picked up a bunch of orange baby carrots and black mission figs. These were my “Things.”

I made sure that the figs I bought were also small because proportion seemed to play a role in the presentation. (BTW, you can always eat your leftover figs by cutting them in half, sprinkling sugar on the sides, and grilling them. Then serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Yum.)

For the dressing, I kept it really simple like Ubuntu. So I just mixed the juice from one lemon with high-quality extra virgin olive oil. (You know I only use the best from here.) I did add a bit of sugar because I always feel lemon is really tart on its own. So really, it was only just lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of sugar. And be restrained when mixing in the dressing with your salad.

The real trick I learned from Ubuntu was the crackling of sea salt to finish off the salad. Not a whole lot, but just enough to complement the lemon juice dressing and bring out even more the natural flavorings of the carrots, figs and vegetables. Use coarse sea salt in a grinder or sprinkle a pinch of fleur de sel.

And there you have your very own seasonal green salad that can be as pretty as any restaurant. (OK, not to be against the whole vegetable movement and mission of Ubuntu, but I was soooo tempted to drizzle a few slices of prosciutto at the end. Don’t you think that would have been yummy?)