Frisee and Romaine Salad with Spiced Walnuts and Chives in a Tomato Vinaigrette
This elegant and sophisticated salad raises the bar for home-cooked meals. Slightly bitter, curly frisee is paired with sweet romaine, which creates a lovely play of textures and vegetal flavors on your tongue. The chives lend a delicate onion note that is just right, not overpowering, but enough to grab your attention. The mesquite honey roasted walnuts are seasoned with smoked paprika, smoky chipotle adobo sauce, and rosemary, which adds a smoky, slightly spicy, and subtle herbal flavor to the finished dish. Complex and multi-note, this recipe can be served as a side but works equally well as a main if store-bought rotisserie chicken is added to the mix!
The star of the show is the fresh tomato vinaigrette. Smooth and creamy with a “fresh, sun-ripened- garden- tomato” flavor, this version calls for store-bought Melissa’s heirloom tomatoes since their flavor is closest to home-grown tomatoes--far superior to commercial Roma or hybrid tomatoes. I recommend using Spanish sherry vinegar in this recipe; it has a more rounded (less acidic) taste than white or red vinegar, with the added culinary gift of subtle caramel undertones. It is the perfect acid for this recipe. If you are in a rush, substitute a Creole seasoning blend (I recommend Paul Prudhomme brand) for the called-for spices; the flavor is not as focused, but it works! One caveat is to keep an eye on the walnuts; they can burn easily.
Frisee and Romaine Salad with Spiced Walnuts and Chives in a Tomato Vinaigrette
Serves: 4 as a side; 2 as a main
Spiced Walnuts
1 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup mesquite honey
1 Tbs. white sugar
1 Tbs. fresh orange juice
1 tsp. smoked paprika
½ tsp. Chipotle adobo sauce
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
2 Tbs. avocado oil
1/2 tsp. kosher flake salt
1 Tbs. dried rosemary, minced (can substitute with fresh, finely minced rosemary)
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350º.
Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Mix walnuts, honey, orange juice, smoked paprika, chipotle adobo sauce, salt, garlic and oil in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Spread the nut mixture on a baking sheet in one layer. Sprinkle with sugar. Roast the nuts for 18 minutes, turning once during the cooking process. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with rosemary, then allow it to cool. Break up nuts and place the nut mixture on a plate until ready to use.
Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette
1 red Heirloom tomato, about 8 oz; grated on the large hole setting of a box grater.
½ large shallot, peeled and grated on the fine setting of the box grater
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ c extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Place all ingredients into a high-efficiency blender and puree until smooth. Place the vinaigrette into the refrigerator until ready to plate.
Salad
½ -5 oz. package of frisee, washed and air-dried, about 2 ½ oz.
1 head of romaine lettuce, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
½ pkg. of chives, sliced into 4-inch pieces
1 nectarine, cut into 1/3-inch slices
Preparation:
Place greens and chives on salad plates. Top with spiced walnuts, then layer sliced nectarines around the perimeter of the plate. Drizzle with heirloom tomato vinaigrette and serve.
