Summery Salad
The Nitty Gritty:
Strawberries, pistachios, and Gorgonzola, oh my!- Level: 1
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Yields: 2 servings
- Tags: salad
I started making this salad as a rip-off of Cosi’s “signature salad.” I loved the Gorgonzola and pistachio combination (wouldn’t the world be a better place if it was just made of Gorgonzola?), but found myself picking out the grapes and pears. I thought to myself, “You know, you should just make your own version of this.” I started experimenting with different fruit, nut, and cheese combinations, and this is what I arrived at in the end.
The red wine vinaigrette that accompanies this recipe is from Ina Garten’s balsamic onion and blue cheese salad. Basically, this whole recipe is a hybrid rip-off. Let’s call it a variation on a theme: Swimming in a Sea of Gorgonzola and Olive Oil; Etude in G Major.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup pistachios, shelled
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 pint strawberries, sliced or quartered
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- kosher salt
- 2 shallots, minced
- 14 ounces hearts of palm, drained and sliced diagonally
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ripe Haas avocado
- 8 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
- 1 tsp. dijon mustard
Instructions:
Toss the lettuce, strawberries, pistachios, hearts of palm, and Gorgonzola together in a large salad bowl.
To prepare the avocado, slice in half lengthwise, around the hard pit in the center. Twist gently, in opposite directions, to separate the halves. Discard the pit (it makes a great projectile, if anyone happens to be bothering you that day). Using a spoon, carefully lift the soft green and yellow flesh out of the skin in one big piece. Slice thickly and add to salad.
For the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and shallots in a small bowl until blended. Slowly add olive oil, while whisking, until uniformly blended. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad, toss gently, and serve.
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By Lauren McNally
Lauren B. McNally is a communications consultant in Washington, D.C., who spends most of her free time exploring culinary and oenological pursuits with friends. She hails from Maine and graduated from Bowdoin College, completing additional study at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.(where she found the dining hall cuisine rather offensive and repulsive, as opposed to that of the top-ranked Bowdoin Dining Service). Her palate is ever-evolving but she includes California Zinfandels, Cotes du Rhone, and white wines from Burgundy and the Loire Valley among her current favorites. Her least favorite wine-related phrase: “I don’t like _.” Lauren also enjoys cooking Italian and French cuisine, and has an unnatural obsession with Gorgonzola and pancetta.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is a monthly online publication edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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