Tonight was all about adjusting to what was in my kitchen. This is a favorite salad, but I usually make it with arugula. Turns out I didn't have any, but a spring mix of baby greens worked fine.
This was also the first time I used some red peppers that I had roasted last fall, put in a jar with olive oil, and frozen. It was during a frenzy of trying to preserve produce before it went bad and this was suggested to me by a friend.
It worked out perfectly. I thawed the jar today and the peppers were delicious, and the olive oil helped make the dressing on the salad.
I love toasted pine nuts with this. Pine nuts are so touchy that I prefer to toast them on the stovetop where I can keep an eye on them so they don't get burnt. I toast them in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring and watching them pretty carefully. They go from toasted to burnt in a moment. I find that the smell test works here too. Once you can smell they are toasting, it's about time to take them off the heat.
And just build the salad. Arugula or greens, roasted red pepper strips, dollops of goat cheese, and top with the toasted pine nuts. Squeeze some lemon juice over (and again, I had no lemons in the kitchen so I used lemon juice that was in the fridge) and between the olive oil and the lemon juice, the salad is dressed. I like a few grinds of black pepper as well.
It's hard to describe the creamy, crunchy texture plus the sweetness of the peppers against the tang of the goat cheese and the toasty pine nuts. I guess I just did. It's just a great combo.
Arugula or spring mix baby greens
Roasted red peppers in olive oil
Goat cheese
Toasted pine nuts
Lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
Labels: Salad
