Anticiplate

There is a constant battle between me and Erik when it comes to salad.

If I had my way, the salad would be filled with tons of micro-greens, heirloom tomatoes, french feta, nicoise olives, and thinly-sliced english cucumber.

Maybe a couple of radishes.

That would NOT be Erik’s first choice. His ideal salad is a dried cranberry, gorgonzola, and walnut salad over mesculin greens with a balsamic vinaigrette. A great salad. But, totally opposite of mine.

I thought this could be our compromise. This is the quintessential summer salad. Baby spinach, fresh summer strawberries, and creamy pistachios. I think it would even work well with crumbled goat cheese, or feta….hmm…

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

1/4 c. white sugar

1/4 c. olive oil

2 tbsp. white vinegar

a pinch of sweet paprika

a dash of worcestershire sauce

4 c. baby spinach

8 large strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/4 c. shelled pistachios

Grated parmigiano reggiano, for sprinkling on top of salad

In a medium bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients. Cover, and chill until ready to use. (Can be made 1 day in advance)

In a large bowl, combine spinach, strawberries, and pistachios. Pour some of the dressing over the salad (I used less than half, but I do not prefer a lot of dressing).  Toss to combine. Sprinkle with parmigiano.