Artichokes and Hearts of Palm Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette

Molly53's Note:

An appetizing first course from the flavor center of the universe, Louisiana. Courtesy of Andre Poirot of Begue's, featured in The Louisiana New Garde television series. Cooking time is marinating time.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 3 ounces mushrooms , quartered
• 8 artichoke hearts , cooked (canned is fine)
• 1 (16 ounce) can hearts of palm , drained and julienned
• 1 cup carrot , peeled and julienned
• 4 cups romaine lettuce , leaves separated and cut into shreds
• 16 cherry tomatoes , stemmed and quartered

Citrus Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ½ cup oil
• 1 tablespoon shallot , minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper , to taste

Directions:

1. To make the vinaigrette: whisk all the ingredients together until emulsified.
2. To make the salad: Combine first four ingredients together in a salad bowl with 3/4 cup of the vinaigrette.
3. Let marinate for an hour.
4. To serve, line the rims of four chilled salad plates with a few pretty romaine leaves.
5. In the center of each plate, place 1/2 cup lettuce and top with 1/4 of the marinated vegetable mixture.
6. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and drizzle a little of the remaining vinaigrette over the romaine leaves.