Salad. Not any salad will do. It's still January so something substantial is required. Sure there can be lettuce, but we need protein, and fruit, and cheese! Hooray for cheese!
This past Thanksgiving we had the good fortune to spend it with her, my wonderful uncle Jamie, and my cousin Abbey. We have such a good deal going...we show up, we eat, we drink, we lay about, and we leave. Don't hate us too much as we have to navigate New York City traffic to get there. If you think, as I thought, that driving on Thanksgiving Day would make for light traffic that would be a mistake. At least twice per year for the last three years, we've made the round-trip drive from the Hudson Valley to Long Island (hello Throgs Neck Bridge!), and the worst traffic we've encountered in all those years was this past Thanksgiving Day.
A base of mesclun mix supported nearly equal amounts of prosciutto, goat cheese, mango slices, and fresh fig slices.
Oh my goodness - I am licking my lips just thinking about it as it was that good! The salt of the prosciutto would hit you only to be eclipsed by a little sweet-tart punch from the mangoes that would then settle into the creamy earthiness of the interplay between goat cheese and figs. This combination calls for a mild dressing and so Nancy made shallot vinaigrette.
Again, this is more of a formula than a recipe, and in addition to Nancy's wonderful composition, I have come up with few of my own. Amounts will vary based on use. For a salad course, each item, except the lettuce, should be around one ounce. However, I encourage you to play around and decide what works best for you. Regarding dressing, use your favorite recipe or brand. I've posted to links to some recipes I like.
SALAD a la NANCY
Mesclun mix
Fresh figs, sliced (depending on size, you'll need 1/2 to 1 whole fig per salad)
Goat cheese, crumbled
Fresh, ripe mango, julienned
Prosciutto, sliced
Shallot vinaigrette (recipe)
SPANISH version
Mesclun mix
Manchego cheese, thinly sliced
Serrano ham, thinly sliced
Fresh figs, sliced
Marcona almonds
Sherry vinaigrette (recipe)
ITALIAN version
Mesclun mix
Pecorino Toscano, shaved
Prosciutto, thinly sliced
Fresh, ripe pear, thinly sliced
Walnuts or hazelnuts, toasted
Red wine vinaigrette (recipe)
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