Linda Larsen, The Not-so-famous Cook!
Recipe of the Month

Larsen’s AMAZING Salad (serves 4)

4 cups field greens and chopped romaine leaves (more if you like bigger salads)
4 small Roma tomatoes chopped
4 TBS crumbled gorgonzola cheese (or blue cheese)
4 TBS dried cranberries
4 TBS roasted pecans pieces (some people use candied pecans…I don’t want the extra sugar)

To roast the pecans, preheat oven to 275 degrees. Spread pecan pieces in a single layer on cookie sheet, roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Set your timer. These babies will go from perfect to yucky in a nanosecond.

THE Dressing (oh yum oh yum)
(I double this recipe and use it as my stock salad dressing – it’s FABULOUS!!)

2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp minced shallots
1 ½ TBS minced garlic
Salt & pepper
3 oz fresh chopped basil (I usually get those packages in the produce section of the grocery) Hint: Fresh basil goes bad very quickly after you buy it. Try to make your dressing as soon as you get the basil.
3 Cups extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor or blender, mix very well all the ingredients EXCEPT the olive oil. Then SLOWLY add the olive oil until well blended and creamy. Store in refrigerator.

The original recipe called for a raw egg (which would emulsify the mixture and keep the oil and vinegar from separating.) I don’t use a raw egg. What that means is that the oil and vinegar WILL separate and the olive oil will solidify a bit in the coldness of the refrig.

Accordingly, before I can “pour” the dressing onto the salad, I always have to sit the jar in a bowl of hot water, and keep stirring it with a long spoon or knife. I know that’s a bit of a pain – but believe me – this dressing is SO worth it!!!