Strawberries have enough tartness to stand out in a salad. The ones you want are the ones that have a little firmness to them still, not the really soft ones.
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Red Oakleaf lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-sized bits
3-4 cups Green Salanova lettuce, prepped as above
1 quart package of strawberries, washed, dried, and topped
Optional- ½ cup raw pine nuts or roasted salted pistachios
1-cup, or as needed, Creamy Basil White Balsamic Dressing (See recipe)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional- 2 cups New Natives (or other brand) arugula sprouts
METHOD:
Mix the lettuces together and keep cold until service.
Using a mandolin or sharp thin-bladed knife, remove a slice and eat it. Slice the strawberries tip to top, rather than across, into 1/8th-inch petals, stopping when you get to the other rounded side. Continue until done. If not using right away, spread out in a flat-bottomed box or non-reactive dish/pan such as a Pyrex casserole dish. Cover with plastic wrap on the berries, the cover the box with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate right away, but not for longer than 60-90 minutes if you can avoid it as the petals will start to “wilt”. Drizzle a little dressing into the lettuces and toss gently to coat evenly.
Put a very small amount of dressing in with the strawberries and use fingers to mix in. Put the lettuces into the strawberry bowl and mix together.
Place the salad onto four (chilled if possible) plates. Scatter with nuts if using, top with a plouf of sprouts, and season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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