No-Recipe Summer Eating

Strawberry Salad with Crumbled Gorgonzola and Pistachios

Photo by Lorelle Del Matto

 

A surfeit of strawberries and a beautifully hot, summer day led to a craving for a classic – strawberry salad.

 

Warm summer evenings call for no-oven, no-stove and no-recipe dishes that you can assemble while a lean entrée is sizzling on the grill. 

 

A salad can satisfy a summer appetite when it includes elements of sweet, salty, tangy, rich and crunchy.  Juicy sweet strawberries are surrounded with crisp romaine, mixed baby lettuces, fresh basil, strips of yellow bell pepper and red onion, salty crumbled gorgonzola and a generous handful of roasted pistachios.  Try feta, goat or ricotta salata instead of the gorgonzola and pine nuts or pecans for the nuts. Toast the nuts for best flavor.  Soak the onion strips in cold water to temper their bite. 

 

I reached deep into my pantry and found a once-novel but still good ingredient – raspberry vinegar for the base of a dressing. (Champagne or another fruity vinegar would work, too.) Whisk the dressing in the bottom of your salad bowl, top with the salad ingredients and chill.  Toss right before serving for best flavor and crunch. 

 

Scale the dressing to the size of your salad.  I made a “party portion” here with 2 tablespoons of raspberry vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon or two of Dijon mustard and a sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

 

Photo by Lorelle Del Matto

Appealing to just about everyone, strawberries offer berry-good nutrition.  One cup, about 5 ounces, has more vitamin C than an orange and supplies essential nutrients including dietary fiber, folate, and potassium.  The health-promoting phytochemicals in strawberries, phenolic compounds such as flavonoids, ellagitannins and ellagic acid are the subject of exciting research into the benefits of strawberries to promote cardiovascular health, prevent cancer and protect cognitive function. 

 

Anthocyanins, phenolic compounds that give strawberries and other berries their gorgeous color, have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.   For more berry ideas and related information see my blogs on inflammation     and berries  .

 

References

1. The California Strawberry Commission  

2. Berries Might Lower Heart Risks, Harvard Women’s Health Watch, April 2013, p. 8

 

© 2013 Lorelle S Del Matto

lorelle About lorelle

Crazy about cooking, eating and sharing good food – my work and leisure revolve around the kitchen. As a culinary dietitian my professional life encompasses nutrition counseling and education, recipe development, product development, food and nutrition writing, marketing communications, corporate test kitchen and consumer affairs management, food styling and work as a product spokesperson.

Comments

  1. Your mother-in-law’s strebwarry jam recipe sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing it. I never thought of putting jam in a cup of tea, that is such a great idea!

  2. I only want to thank Google for finding me this site. It’s just what I was searching for.

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