The Salad I've Been Eating Almost Every Day for Two Weeks

Ham, jalapeño, radishes, French cheese and two supermarket salads. It sounds like a refrigerator accident. I'm beginning to think it's my new favourite lunch.

I have a confession.

For almost two weeks, I've been eating practically the same salad every day.

Sometimes twice a day.

This is slightly unusual for me because I enjoy cooking, experimenting with ingredients and generally making my life unnecessarily complicated in the kitchen.

But I've found a combination that works so well that I keep coming back to it.

And the best part?

Half the recipe is already prepared by somebody else.

The ingredients

For one generous serving, I use:

• 1–2 slices of jambon blanc, the classic French cooked ham, finely chopped.
• Half a fresh jalapeño, also finely chopped.
• About 10 small radishes, cut into quarters.
• A small piece of French blue cheese, diced. I've temporarily forgotten which variety I'm using, but something with a little blue-green mould and a strong personality works beautifully.
• A generous helping of cucumber and chive salad, made with fresh cheese.
• A generous helping of tomato tartare, with chopped tomatoes, herbs and olive oil.

The last two ingredients are the interesting ones.

Both are ready-made salads I buy in fairly large containers at a French supermarket.

The first contains fresh cucumbers, chives and a soft fresh cheese. The cucumbers release some of their water, turning the cheese into something between yoghurt, sour cream and a creamy dressing.

The second is a tomato tartare: finely chopped tomatoes, herbs, olive oil and whatever Mediterranean magic the manufacturer has decided to include.

Individually, they're perfectly good.

Together, they're even better.

Just chop, mix and eat

There's practically no cooking involved.

I chop the ham, jalapeño, radishes and cheese into small pieces.

Then I add generous portions of both prepared salads.

Mix everything thoroughly.

Done.

No additional dressing.

No mayonnaise.

No extra olive oil.

I don't even add salt or pepper.

The ham and cheese already provide saltiness, the jalapeño contributes heat, the radishes add crunch, and the two prepared salads bring enough acidity, herbs and creaminess to hold everything together.

The blue cheese is particularly interesting here. It gives occasional sharp, salty bursts of flavour that work surprisingly well against the fresh cucumber and tomato.

The result is creamy, crunchy, slightly spicy and remarkably satisfying.

I usually eat it straight from a bowl.

No bread.

No side dish.

Nothing else.

Is it healthy?

I suspect it's a reasonably good meal.

There are plenty of fresh vegetables, some protein from the ham and cheese, and a combination of textures that makes the whole thing quite filling.

Of course, the nutritional balance depends on the quantities and the exact prepared products. Ham, cheese and ready-made dressings can also contribute a fair amount of salt.

But I'm not trying to create some scientifically optimised superfood.

I'm trying to eat something delicious without spending half an hour preparing lunch.

And this does the job beautifully.

The accidental recipe

What amuses me most is that I didn't really invent anything here.

I simply combined two ready-made salads with a handful of ingredients I like.

It's a very French supermarket approach to cooking.

Buy something prepared.

Add something fresh.

Add something spicy.

Throw in a little cheese.

And suddenly you have a dish that feels much more interesting than the sum of its parts.

I imagine I'll eventually get tired of it.

Perhaps tomorrow.

Perhaps next month.

But after almost two weeks of eating it nearly every day, sometimes twice, there's still no sign of that happening.

Which, by my standards, is a fairly convincing recipe review.

Sometimes the best thing you can cook is something you don't really need to cook at all.