Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Spinach and Prosciutto Salad with Apple-Onion Vinaigrette #recipe by @LeslieBudewitz

LESLIE: A few weeks ago, I posted a Smashed Chickpea Salad that my source, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, called a “deconstructed hummus.” It occurred to me after we made this salad that it was a sort of deconstructed spinach salad, of the classic variety served with a warm bacon dressing with cider vinegar and poppy seeds. No poppy seeds in this one, but they’d make a great addition.

Make this salad in individual bowls and store the apple mixture separately from the additional greens, unless you plan to serve it all at one meal.

Spinach and Prosciutto Salad with Apple-Onion Vinaigrette

Adapted from the Washington Post

1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts, cooled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced (3/4 cup)
1 large tart apple, such as Granny Smith, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tablespoon maple syrup, or more to taste
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
About 10 ounces fresh baby spinach
6 thin slices prosciutto (about 3 ounces total)

 Toast nuts in oven at 300 for 10 minutes, shaking occasionally, or in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned. Remember nuts continue to cook and color as they cool.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion; reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion just starts to soften, then stir in the apple. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the apple softens. It's okay if the onion browns a bit. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.

Mix in the maple syrup, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool for 15 minutes, then stir in the vinegar. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Lay the spinach leaves out on a large shallow bowl or platter or individual shallow bowls. Tear the prosciutto into pieces about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide; distribute over and among the spinach leaves. Sprinkle the walnuts over the salad. Spoon the vinaigrette over and toss to coat evenly.

Serve immediately.

 





From the cover of THE SOLACE OF BAY LEAVES, Spice Shop Mystery #5 (Seventh St. Books), coming July 21, 2020: 

Pepper Reece never expected to find solace in bay leaves. 

But when her life fell apart at forty and she bought the venerable-but-rundown Spice Shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, her days took a tasty turn. Now she’s savoring the prospect of a flavorful fall and a busy holiday cooking season, until danger bubbles to the surface ... 

Between managing her shop, worrying about her staff, and navigating a delicious new relationship, Pepper’s firing on all burners. But when her childhood friend Maddie is shot and gravely wounded, the incident is quickly tied to an unsolved murder that left another close friend a widow. 

Convinced that the secret to both crimes lies in the history of a once-beloved building, Pepper uses her local-girl contacts and her talent for asking questions to unearth startling links between the past and present—links that suggest her childhood friend may not have been the Golden Girl she appeared to be. Pepper is forced to face her own regrets and unsavory emotions, if she wants to save Maddie’s life—and her own. 

Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries and the Spice Shop Mysteries, and the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories.  Death al Dente, the first Food Lovers' Village Mystery, won Best First Novel in 2013, following her 2011 win in Best Nonfiction. Her first historical short story, "All God's Sparrows," won the 2018 Agatha Award for Best Short Story. A past president of Sisters in Crime and a current board member of Mystery Writers of America, she lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their cat, an avid bird-watcher.

Swing by my website and join the mailing list for my seasonal newsletter. And join me on Facebook where I announce lots of giveaways from my cozy writer friends.

4 comments:

  1. This sounds delish, Leslie! Now I'll add prosciutto to the list and see if we can get some!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A fine looking variation on the spinach/bacon salad idea.

    ReplyDelete