I was planning the salad for our Thanksgiving Feast: shredded Brussels sprouts and Romaine with roasted beets, sliced shallots, and spiced walnuts; and was looking for a salad dressing that would work with all the flavors, and safe for the varied food restrictions gathered around our table.
After a quick search of my files, da Google, and, finally, the BigOven app on my iPhone, I came across this little gem, which will be on our table for much more than just the holidays.
INGREDIENTS
•1/3 cup maple syrup
•2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
•3 tbsp Dijon mustard
•2 tbsp red wine vinegar
•1 tbsp veggie oil
•1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
•1/8 tsp salt
Making the dressing is a snap; simply whisk the ingredients together in a bowl, then stash in a covered jar until needed.
I tripled the recipe (because I had other plans for some of this dressing), and put mine together with the aid of my blender.
Now, about that salad…
INGREDIENTS
•Chopped romaine
•Shredded Brussels sprouts
•Sliced shallot
•Roasted sliced beets*
•Dried cranberries
•Spiced walnuts**
*To roast the beets, drain a can of sliced beets well, then toss with sea salt, arrange on a baking sheet, and roast at 350° for about 20 minutes.
**I offered these on the side, so that folk with nut issues could enjoy this earthy salad. To make them, whisk together 1/2 cup of powdered sugar with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon of seasoning. You could use your favorite steak seasoning (I like Gateway to the North Maple Garlic), but I wanted to add a hint of citrus to the salad, so opted for Caribbean Calypso Seasoning, which has orange, lemon, and lime zest along with a few other zippy spices.
Blanch two cups of raw walnuts in boiling water for three minutes, then drain and immediately toss in the spiced sugar to coat.
Arrange the nuts on a foil lined baking sheet, then pop into a 350° oven for 15 minutes, stirring after seven minutes.
Allow to cool, then store in a tightly covered container until needed.
Toss the salad and serve with the dressing and nuts on the side.
It all made for a fine part of our holiday feast and, as you can see from my plate, there were so many tasty veggies on offer, green bean casserole, corn mac and cheese, cranberry relish, stuffing, and sweet potaotes (but not those icky sweet ones) that it took me until the second go round to try the turkey.
All in all, a fine feast, and a very fine salad dressing…
but wait…
I said I’d made extra because I had other plans for some of it; and so I did.
Check out those tasty details, tomorrow!