Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Ginger Jeweled Salad

I made this salad for Christmas Eve dinner. I'll let you know if it was well received....my taster bowl for breakfast was pretty good! I'm not sure how the rice will go over with my in-laws...it's a pretty exotic move for them!

I did have trouble finding pluots, which are a cross between a plum and an apricot, so just used apricots instead. I also added some pomegranate seeds, just because. I think some bosc pear might also be good, or even oranges.


Ginger Jeweled Salad
From 101Cookbooks.com

1 tablespoon fresh ginger juice, made by grating a 4-5-inch piece of ginger into a pile and then pressing it against a strainer to extract the ginger juice
2 tablespoons white wine or Champagne vinegar
fine grain sea salt
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno, very finely chopped
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup dried figs, stems trimmed, quartered
1/3 cup dried pluots, chopped (I used dried apricots instead- couldn’t find a pluot anywhere!)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, loosely chopped
1 1/3 cup cooked wild rice, room temperature
5 big handfuls of leafy salad greens, washed and dried

In a mason jar or medium bowl make the ginger vinaigrette by whisking together the ginger juice, vinegar, jalapeno, and a couple big pinches of salt. Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the jar whisking all the while. Stop when the dressing takes on a slightly creamy appearance. Taste and adjust the flavors if needed. Set aside.

Hold off dressing the salad until just before you are ready to serve it. This will help to keep the lettuce vibrant and lively. In a large bowl toss the figs, pluots, hazelnuts and wild rice with a generous splash of the dressing. Once they are nicely coated, add the lettuce, a bit more vinaigrette, and a pinch of salt. Gently toss until the lettuce is evenly coated. Taste and adjust if needed. The little bits of fruit and nuts tend to fall to the bottom of the bowl, so before serving scoop them back up from the bottom so you end up with plenty of rice and fruit on top.

Serves about 6.

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