Spinach Salad with Fresh Raspberries and Raspberry Vinaigrette

young squash from McGrath



Here's what Farmer John had for us in Silver Lake this week:

Avocados
Oranges
Daikon
Kabu turnips
Celery
Squash blossoms
Kohlrabi
Yellow wax beans
Tuscan kale
Curly kale
Chard
Arugula
Dandelion greens
Lemon basil

And here's what Tara brought down from McGrath Family Farm, certified organic growers in Camarillo:

Carrots
Spring onions
Beets
Haricot verts
Chard
Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Strawberries
Raspberries
Squash

Speaking of strawberries, here's a strawflower from Tara's garden.

If you happened to choose the spinach this week you probably noticed how unusual it looks with its small triangular leaves and deep red stems. I believe it's a Bordeaux variety. And because it's young and tender, it's perfect for a spinach salad. A traditional spinach salad with crisp, crumbled bacon and hard-boiled egg makes a tasty lunch or supper. I like to toss in some onion and avocado, too.

A more delicate salad is built around spinach and the beautiful red raspberries that were available as an option today. If you need more greens, you can add more spinach or use any combination of the arugula, dandelion greens, or the tenderest romaine leaves that tastes good to you.

Spinach Salad with Fresh Raspberries and Raspberry Vinaigrette

For each meal-sized serving or for 2 side salad servings:

2 C gently packed, washed, dried and trimmed spinach broken into bite-sized pieces
1/2 C washed and dried red raspberries
1/4 C crumbled goat cheese
2 T chopped toasted walnuts
1 scant T thinly sliced red onion (optional)
1 T raspberry vinegar, or more to taste
1 T extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss gently the spinach or greens, raspberries, goat cheese, walnuts and onion in a salad bowl.

2. In a separate small bowl or cup, briskly mix together the raspberry vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

3. Drizzle dressing over salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss again to distribute the dressing over the salad.

Raspberry vinegar is available at many grocery stores and some specialty food stores. You can make your own by pouring hot white wine vinegar over slightly mashed fresh raspberries and allowing it to steep for 4-5 days, then straining out the raspberries. A quart of vinegar to about 1 C of raspberries will work just fine. Remember, the sweeter the raspberries and the nicer the white wine vinegar, the better your raspberry vinegar will taste.

Enjoy!

Shelley