MACEDONIAN LETTUCE SALAD WITH YOGHURT

This unusual salad comes from the mountainous area of Macedonia which borders on Greece on the eastern edge of what was Yugoslavia. Indeed, the very name of the area itself is in dispute with its neighbour. Its hares with the rest of the area a cooking tradition that's heavily influenced by Turkish and Middle Eastern tastes and flavours, and this use of yoghurt as a salad dressing is typical of that connection.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

3 small cos lettuce (Little Gem type)

1 tsp slat

8 ozs thick Greek style yoghurt

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oil (olive if possible)

METHOD

Separate the leaves on the lettuce, wash them thoroughly and dry them. Tear each of the bigger leaves in half and arrange in a bowl.

Not more than 5 minutes before you're ready to eat, sprinkle the salt over the lettuce and beat the oil, lemon juice and sugar into the yoghurt.

Pour the yoghurt over the lettuce and toss gently and serve rapidly. The lettuce will wilt if kept for more than 10 minutes in this dressing, but before then its crispness and the creaminess of the dressing complement each other wonderfully