Crunchy Lemon-Pesto Garden Salad

The maples completed their red-flower week and began their leaf-out — the small chartreuse buds opening into the first impressions of canopy by Friday. I worked in Helen's garden Saturday for three hours, clearing the winter mulch, raking the dead leaves, cutting back the old asters and black-eyed Susans to ground level. The daylilies were already pushing six inches of green and the irises had begun their fans. The garden does not need me. The work I give it is part of what makes it Helen's garden rather than just a patch of perennials.

Made a roasted chicken Sunday with a lemon-and-thyme rub, served with rice and the early dandelion greens from the lawn dressed with bacon fat and vinegar. The dandelion greens in late April are the early-spring tonic my grandmother used to recommend with the medical authority of a woman who had outlived three doctors.

Sarah's 8 PM call ran long Sunday — Lucy is doing well at the program, has begun her clinical rotations, has fallen in with a small study group of three women who have become her people in Philadelphia. Sarah is happier about Lucy than she has been in months. The first-semester worry has resolved into the steady satisfaction of a daughter who has found her footing.

The lemon in that Sunday chicken rub — the way it cut through the thyme and the pan drippings — stayed with me into the week, and I kept thinking that what the meal wanted alongside the dandelion greens was something with that same brightness, something that honored the season without overcomplicating it. This Crunchy Lemon-Pesto Garden Salad is the answer I’ve come back to more than once in April and May: it has the snap of something freshly pulled from cold ground, and the lemon carries the same tonic quality my grandmother would have approved of, delivered in a form Helen’s daylilies would have considered appropriate company.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

5 oz mixed spring greens or romaine, roughly torn
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
1/3 cup seasoned croutons or toasted panko breadcrumbs
2 radishes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small clove garlic, finely grated
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the pesto, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, and garlic until smooth and emulsified. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust lemon or salt as needed.
Prep the vegetables. Wash and dry the greens thoroughly. Halve the cherry tomatoes, slice the cucumber and radishes, and set everything aside.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and radishes. Drizzle with about two-thirds of the dressing and toss gently to coat.
Add the crunch. Top with shaved Parmesan, croutons or toasted panko, and pine nuts or sunflower seeds. Drizzle remaining dressing over the top if desired.
Serve immediately. This salad is best served right away while the croutons hold their texture. If making ahead, keep the dressing and crunchy toppings separate until just before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Crunchy Lemon-Pesto Garden Salad — The Side Dish That Belongs to This Time of Year