This is a print preview of "Strawberry Spinach Salad" recipe.

Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe
by Monte Mathews

Did

you know May is National Strawberry month?

Neither did I. But a couple of weeks ago, I was

left with a clamshell half-filled with beautiful Driscoll strawberries that I

didn’t want to see going to waste. Driscoll is not a species of

strawberry. It’s a privately held company in Watsonville, California that’s been

owned by the same family for over 100 years now. It has a huge payroll, employing over 40,000

people around the world developing, growing and harvesting all kinds of

berries: Raspberries, Blackberries, Blueberries and, of course, Strawberries

both organic and conventionally grown.

It’s also a company with a shining history of giving back: After World War II, Driscoll’s helped

Japanese Americans, newly released from the internment camps they were held in,

become sharecroppers for the company.

And Driscoll is a major supporter of Natividad Medical Center in

Salinas, CA where it provides translators for speakers of Central America’s indigenous

languages: Zapotec, Mixteco and Triqui. Driscoll is one of those companies

I feel privileged to buy from.

I

practically grew up on this piece of wisdom: Waste not, want not. Now had Andrew been around, I am sure we

could have had something strawberry for a dessert. I can still taste his take on Joanne Chang’s

Strawberry Shortcakes

(http://www.chewingthefat.us.com/2013/06/joanne-changs-balsamic-strawberry.html). But Andrew was in Texas and I am not the

baker he is. Instead I searched for a

savory recipe involving strawberries. I

landed on one that’s the amalgamation of several. The main ingredients, baby spinach and

strawberries, are combined with the tang of Feta cheese, the slightest bit of

red onion and toasted pine nuts for crunch.

(You can substitute glazed walnuts for the pine nuts and save a small

fortune). To dress the salad, I came

upon a recipe from a Chef Luis Protti who cooks at the Pura Vida Spa in Costa

Rica. It’s a very simple vinaigrette with

that gets its sweetness from brown sugar and for a little oomph,

there’s the

surprise of a little paprika. Since I served this as a dinner

salad, I topped it with seared sirloin strips.

I could have just as easily used chicken in the same fashion. But the salad, all by itself, is

perfect. And I can hardly wait to make

this this summer with our local berries.

But that will be some weeks from now even with “Pick Strawberries Day”

coming up on the 20th of this month just before “National

Strawberries and Cream Day” on the 21st. Here is the recipe:

Recipe for Strawberry Spinach Salad

Serves 4. Takes under 15 minutes to make.

1.

Make

the dressing. Pour oil into a small mixing bowl, then whisk

in vinegar and sugar until blended. Add paprika then salt to taste.

2.

In a large serving

bowl, pour vinaigrette over spinach and fruit and toss to completely coat.

Serve immediately.