I whipped this salad together for a family get-together. See, for ages, I hated salad with a fiery passion bordering on mania. Lettuce and I did NOT get along. But in my older, wiser years, I have learned to work around this hate by using arugula - a leaf my husband and I both love. This usually means that we're asked to bring the salad for our family to-dos, as then they know we'll eat it!
This salad in particular was, as usual, inspired by something left over in the fridge: blueberries. As anyone who is familiar with Spanish or Catalan cuisine is aware, berries don't feature that often. But I was determined to make it work, so here it is.
Spanish-fusion Blueberry Hazelnut Salad
Ingredients
1/2 cup lightly toasted
hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
or ground rosemary
1/3 cup sherry vinegar (rice
wine or champagne vinegar works too)
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/2 cup olive oil
1 heaping spoonful of honey
1 heaping spoonful of Dijon
mustard, smooth or whole-grain
salt and freshly ground black
pepper
arugula, fresh
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh red pepper,
chopped coarsely
Spanish Manchego cheese,
shaved
To toast the hazelnuts:
First, chop the hazelnuts coarsely - in quarters
approximately. Heat up a saute pan to
high. Add the nuts to the pan, and move
them around constantly until fragrant and a lovely golden brown. If you wish, add a drizzle of olive oil and
season with ground rosemary or smoked paprika.
To prepare the dressing:
After the nuts are toasted and set aside, turn the heat
down to medium high and use the same small saute pan to bring the champagne
vinegar and saffron to a boil for 1 minute.
In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the olive oil, honey, and
mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar and saffron mixture and
shake vigorously to mix well.
Assembling the salad:
Assemble just before serving. Put the arugula in a large salad bowl, drizzle the dressing over
the greens and toss gently with your hands to coat the leaves. Top with
hazelnuts, blueberries, and cheese (optional, of course). Serve immediately.
