california-wine-country-salad

DIRECTIONS

For the salad:
Arrange the greens on 6 large plates. Arrange each of the other ingredients in separate clusters on the greens. Serve with small pitchers of vinaigrette alongside.

For the vinaigrette:
In a nonreactive saucepan, boil the red wine until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Cool. In a blender, puree the reduced wine, sugar, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper and thyme. Gradually add the oils. Keep the dressing refrigerated in a sealed container or bottle for up to one week. Shake well before serving.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

Salad:

12 handfuls (12 ounces) tender salad greens
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) toasted whole almonds
3 cups (1 pound) green, red and/or black California grapes
6 thick bacon slices, cooked crisp and chopped
3 chicken breasts, grilled, chilled and diced
2 ripe avocados, cubed
6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Zinfandel Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Zinfandel Vinaigrette:

1 cup California zinfandel
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

For the salad:
Arrange the greens on 6 large plates. Arrange each of the other ingredients in separate clusters on the greens. Serve with small pitchers of vinaigrette alongside.

For the vinaigrette:
In a nonreactive saucepan, boil the red wine until it has reduced to 1/2 cup. Cool. In a blender, puree the reduced wine, sugar, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper and thyme. Gradually add the oils. Keep the dressing refrigerated in a sealed container or bottle for up to one week. Shake well before serving.

Serves 6.

Notes

In the spirit of the classic French salad niçoise, we have gathered the best flavors of the California wine country and assembled them in one composed-style entrée salad.

This is a Gluten-free recipe

Servings

serves 6