Crunchy Spinach & Pecan Salad

Crunchy Spinach & Pecan Salad

Serves 4

I like to make this recipe using a wonderful product made down the road from our farm by a company called Sobremesa. It is a red cabbage curtido made by the owner who grew up eating it in her Salvadoran household. This is a similar fermented dish to sauerkraut and could easily be substituted by any beet or red cabbage ferment. The idea is to add a bright acid-forward crunchy fermented ingredient which is a nice addition to a salad in the dead of winter.

Ingredients

8 cups mature fresh spinach (not baby spinach)
1 cup fermented red vegetables like beet or red cabbage curtido or sauerkraut roughly chopped
½ cup pecans, toasted and chopped

For the dressing

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, pressed or grated
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Directions

Wash and dry the spinach. Keep the leaves whole but break up larger leaves to be a uniform size with smaller ones. Drain curtido in a colander and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Toss spinach and curtido together in a large bowl.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake to emulsify. Taste for seasoning. Spoon over the salad and be careful not to overdress. There may be extra dressing that you can save to use for another day.

Add pecans right before serving.