salad perfected: spinach with sundried tomatoes and gruyere
There’s something wholly magical about entertaining. About laying out mismatched bowls that have a patina, a rich history. There’s something joyous in presenting the ones you love with a delicious meal. My best friend and I often talk about how we love the whole ritual of hosting a dinner (regardless of size) – from planning the meal to folding the linens to listening to the steady hum of water as you wash all the dishes. I never want to own a dishwasher because I still want to be connected to the complete tactile process of feeding someone else.
That having been said, I even consider a simple salad dish special. One could certainly toss in a bag of pre-washed greens paired with a divine provencal dressing — I’ve done it. However, I love combing my some pantry and throwing together disparate ingredients to make something truly tasty. This past weekend I fixed the following salad, and it’s probably the best I’ve had in quite some time.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bag of pre-washed spinach
1 cup of sundried tomatoes, packed in olive oil
1/4 cup of sliced gruyere cheese
1 cup of basil, packed
2 tbsp of sundried tomato-infused oil
1 clove minced/shaved garlic
1/4 cup toasted slivered, blanced almonds
Salt/pepper, to season
DIRECTIONS
Toss all ingredients and serve!
Recipe Notes: I adore the nutty taste of gruyere, so instead of using a box grater, I slice large shards with a vegetable peeler (alternatively, you could use a microplane). For the olive oil, I simply used the oil in which the sundried tomatoes were packed. I toasted the almonds in a dry skillet.
