Chops Spinach Salad

(from staceydan’s recipe box)

Categories: Salads

Ingredients

  • SALAD
  • For marinated mushrooms:
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup cremini mushrooms, stems removed
  • For salad:
  • 1 pound baby spinach
  • 3-4 strips bacon, to make 1/2 cup bacon bits
  • 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 cup Creamy Basil Dressing (See recipe)
  • Dash of hot sauce, such as Tabasco
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • CREAMY BASIL DRESSING/SAUCE
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup tightly packed flat parsley leaves
  • 1 cup packed basil leaves, stems removed
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white peppercorns
  • 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil mixed with 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

  1. Salad

  2. Prepare mushrooms: Stir together sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Add mushroom caps and bring to a simmer, cooking for about 90 seconds. Remove from heat and cool, leaving the mushrooms in the sugar-syrup.

  3. Prepare salad: Wash spinach, discarding any tough stems; dry in a towel or salad spinner. Place in large bowl.

  4. Cook bacon until crisp in medium skillet over medium heat. Remove bacon and drain; wipe pan. Cool bacon and chop into bits. Return bacon to pan. Add pine nuts and stir, cooking over medium heat till nuts are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add brown sugar.

  5. Drain marinated mushrooms and add the mushrooms to pan. Cook until mushrooms begin to color – about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of Creamy Basil Dressing, a dash of hot sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Turn off heat and stir well. Pour warm mixture over spinach leaves in bowl and toss well to coat; serve at once

  6. Dressing

  7. Place all ingredients except mayonnaise and oil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until pureed; open food processor and scrape down sides. Add mayonnaise and close processor. Pulse briefly just to blend mayonnaise. With processor running continuously, add oil mixture, pouring slowly through feed tube. Process until well blended. Pour into covered container and store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks

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