Serving Up {Salad}: Spinach, Pear, Prosciutto and Gorgonzola with a Balsamic Vinaigrette

What a difference the sun makes!  For months I have been stuck taking photos of the dishes I've made using a flash but summertime has FINALLY arrived in the Northwest and my photos look much more appealing in natural light!  No guarantee how long this blessing will last.  The comment I heard from a friend regarding our weather was, "it's so nice that summer fell on a weekend this year".  Sad but true!

I love gourmet salads and never tire of trying new salad combinations with homemade dressings.  When I discovered this salad I immediately knew I would love it and I was right.  When we lived in Vegas there was a restaurant called Sammy's Wood fired Pizza (it's a chain with locations also in Southern California).  The menu offered many unique pizza combinations and I don't believe I ever had one that I didn't adore, but I did have a favorite...Sammy's Organic Arugula and Pear.  It was a pizza topped with proscuitto, pear and gorgonzola and after it came out of the oven it was topped with an arugula salad dressed in a balsamic dressing.  If ever you visit Sammy's please order this pizza!

This salad is a delightful (crustless) version of that pizza.  And it makes me very happy.  I hope it makes you happy too.

SPINACH, PEAR, PROSCIUTTO AND GORGONZOLA with a BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE     

printable version

16 ounces baby spinach

2 pears

4 ounces Gorgonzola

4 slices prosciutto, baked crispy and broken into large pieces

1/2 cup candied walnuts or pecans

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl or prepare individual salads on salad plates.  Dress with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs. soy sauce

2 Tbs. dijon mustard

1/2 Tbs. shallots, minced

1/2 Tbs. garlic, minced

salt, to taste

ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canola oil

Combine all ingredients except oils in blender base.  Blend until all ingredients are well combined.  Slowly add oils, mixing until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended and lightly emulsified.

Serving Up {Salad}: Cilantro Ranch Dresing

I'm wrapping up my week of dreamy Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa in celebration of my being in Utah and, hopefully, enjoying Cafe Rio in person.

Now that you know how to make the pork and the rice, it's time to assemble.  If you are going for the Barbacoa Burrito, fill your tortilla (use the ones you have to cook from Costco, please!) with a scoop of the Cilantro Lime Rice, a scoop of black beans, a scoop of the sweet pork and some Monterey Jack cheese.  If you are going totally authentic then at this point you would wrap it up, smother it in salsa verde and top it with more cheese and place it in the oven until the cheese is melted.  Then serve the burrito with a side of sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo.  So good!

Their salad's are layered similarly with a tortilla base, cheese, rice, black beans, pork and romaine lettuce topped with (more) cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole.  Then serve the salad with this Cilantro Ranch Dressing.

I have taken the liberty of messing with perfection and because I love this dressing SO much, I use it inside of my burritos when I make them.  It adds such a delicious flavor that I frequently wrap by burrito as pictured above and skip the smothering of it with salsa verde - which is saying something because I really like salsa verde!  Sometimes it just seems like a lighter meal when I don't have the sauce and additional cheese.   

I said "lighter", which no matter how you define it does NOT mean less delicious!

CILANTRO RANCH DRESSING     
(recipe from Favorite Family Recipes)
printable version

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, quarter
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalepeno (keep the seeds for spicy, remove the seeds for mild)

Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and pulse until smooth.  Chill at least one hour prior to serving.