It's salad time again! Today I want to share my second recipe in this series as Artisan Ambassador for the new Fresh Express artisan salad blends, and to start telling you a few things that I have really enjoyed about these lettuces. (And to hint at a recipe contest with a prize! See below!)
For this salad, I used the Wild Rocket Zest artisanal blend, which includes arugula, spinach, and tatsoi. Never heard of tatsoi? Neither had I. (Turns out my 'greens IQ' was not as high as I thought!) Tatsoi is an Asian green varietal also known as spoon mustard or spinach mustard. It has beautiful dark green spoon-shaped leaves that you can see in the photo above. Because of its lovely aesthetic, this green is commonly grown as edible landscaping, otherwise known as ornamental lettuce.
I wanted to mix this peppery blend with something a little sweet and a little savory, so I used some beautiful California Black Mission figs and paired them with shaved parmesan and pine nuts. In the fall, I just adore figs, and I try my best not to become obsessed with them (like I did with peaches this summer), although I make no promises. Because what's not to love? Mission figs have a plump, and almost voluptuous shape, and a deep purple color that adds great color to salads and other dishes. I also love them for their soft and grainy texture and subtle sweetness.
For the dressing, I went with a simple Sherry vinaigrette with a little garlic for some extra flavor. The sweeter sherry vinegar balanced really well with the arugula and the italian flavors of the pine nuts and parmesan. Since there aren't a lot of dominant flavors in this salad, the thing that really took it over the top was this lettuce blend; the flavor kicks up a party in your mouth and has just the right amount of spicy arugula mixed with other greens to be interesting.
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