I have always been the salad maker. The baker, the sweet sauce maker, and the salad maker. That's me. This recipe is inspired by my little sister Jackie and my dad. We were out to dinner years ago at a steakhouse. She was maybe fourteen, perfectly capable of ordering for herself. My dad loved a salad bar. The sort where you can go back as many times as you want. And he kept talking over her, steering her to it. Spinach salad. Spinach salad. We all started laughing. She knew what she wanted. She got it. Happy memory. I bring it up from time to time. So I made her one. A better one. It's 90 degrees outside, and by dinner it will be hotter. The oven stays off. Make the salad. Keep it simple.
Spinach salad with strawberries and bacon is a traditional dish. The Midwest knew what it was doing, chasing summer produce before the frost arrived, pairing what grew together because the season called for it. In California, we have the luxury of year-round bounty, but the trick is that the produce tastes better at different times. A nectarine in July is at its peak sweetness. A tomato in August tastes like summer itself. California sunshine does the ripening and the rest follows. This is her spinach salad, made in her honor, made considerably better. The vinaigrette goes in the mason jar and is shaken until it’s ready. Everything else is summer doing what it does best.
Notes
To make this vegetarian, omit the bacon and add a handful of candied or spiced walnuts for crunch and protein. The salad holds up beautifully either way.
This salad delivers protein from the bacon, goat cheese, and almonds, and fiber from the spinach, berries, and nectarine. For more protein, add a sliced grilled chicken breast.
The nectarine adds a crisp balance to the softer berries and tomatoes. Peach works equally well, but peel it first to remove the fuzzy skin.
Trader Joe's carries all three specialty ingredients: uncured applewood smoked bacon with no sugar, dry toasted sliced almonds, and Chèvre with honey.
You can make the vinaigrette a day ahead. Keep refrigerated in the mason jar and shake again before serving.
While You’re Here…
I’m Jennifer Ann Blair. I write about food, wine, memory, and place, following stories that deserve a closer look. I hold WSET Level 3 with Merit and write from the California desert, usually with Archie, my German Shepherd, somewhere nearby.
If this made you curious, surprised you, or brought something back, tap the heart, leave a note, or send it to someone who might want to pull up a chair too.
This was so good The colors in the salad very pretty and the taste wonderful it is so nice to see what she can put together
Mouth watering! Literally.