Often times, people underestimate the impact of a delicious salad. I know this can often be the case in the professional cooking industry. There are many who are more excited about the main course; meat & sauce production, but not me. I love salads. Salad doesn’t have to have a big leafy base, but it can. It also can be sweet, savoury, sour, salty, and bitter all at the same time. I love mixing citrus fruits and beets, and in the salad recipe I am sharing with you today, we are playing with peppery flavours from our greens, some tartness from our raspberry vinaigrette, a little crunch from the sunflower seeds, and a richness from the gorgonzola cheese.
This can be made into a meal with a some grilled or poached chicken, salmon or pork tenderloin.
Peppery Greens and Gorgonzola Salad with Raspberry-Honey Vinaigrette
Serves 4-6
For the Vinaigrette:
- 6 Tbsp Raspberry Vinegar
- 4 tbsp Honey
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
- 1 cup Good quality olive Oil (or oil of your preference)
- 1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
For the Salad:
- 4-6 cups of your favourite greens (peppery greens like arugula or watercress make a nice addition)
- 1-pint fresh raspberries
- 1 peach, pitted, sliced
- 1 apple, julienne (fine matchsticks)
- 1 cup sliced green grapes
- ½ cup (or more to your taste) Gorgonzola cheese
- ¼ of a bunch chives, chopped into ¼” lengths
- ½ cup toasted sunflower seeds
Make the Vinaigrette:
Blend all the ingredients, except for the chia seeds using a stick blender for 20 seconds. Stir in chia seeds and store the dressing in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make the Salad:
Assemble the salad ingredients in a large serving bowl with vinaigrette on the side or pour some of the dressing into a large serving bowl with all the salad components. Bring additional dressing to the table for diners to add more to taste.
Chef ILona Daniel is Harrowsmith’s Food Editor and the founder of Tribe Fresh Events and Consulting, a purpose-driven insights consultancy accelerated by modern approaches to the hospitality industry, immersive experiences, and community and culture development. She has worked on projects around the world and is on the Board of Directors for the Tourism Association of PEI. Chef Ilona is a media personality, and a Culinary Instructor at the Culinary Institute of Canada.
