Northwest Spinach Salad

JaneLi's Note:

This one uses several ingredients that can be found in the Pacific Northwest, but I'm pretty sure you can get most of these items anywhere. As with many salads, measurements need not be exact; use more or less depending on your taste. I like it because it combines the green taste of spinach with sweet, tart fruit, and salty flavors of almonds and parmesan. Cooking time is for the almonds. Great for using leftover turkey from holidays too. Hope you enjoy it.

• Total Time: 25 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 2-4

Yield: 2.0 entree- ...

Salad

• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 medium fennel bulb, sliced into thin strips
• 1/2 pear, not too ripe, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
• 1/4 cup dried tart cherries or 1/4 cup cranberries
• 1 cup roasted turkey, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup smoky-sweet almonds (recipe follows)

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 -2 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. To make the smoky-sweet almonds, heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high flame, and add 2 t. sugar, 1 t. smoked salt (e.g. fume de sel) and 2 T of water. To this add a handful of slivered almonds, and toss them around in the pan until the water evaporates and the sugar stars to carmelize, about 2-3 minute When the nuts are carmel-y brown, dump them onto some parchment paper to cool, breaking them up into smaller pieces (they will stick together). You can make these ahead and store them in an airtight container until you're ready to use them. If you don't feel like dealing with this step, you can just use roasted/salted almonds or whatever kind of nuts you like.
2. Combine salad ingredients in large bowl. (Hint: if you slice the pears first, you can soak them in some ice water with a little sea salt added to keep them from turning brown while you assemble the rest of the salad. Then drain well before adding to the greens.) If you plan to make this a little ahead of time to chill in the fridge, leave the cheese, pear, and nuts out until the last minute.
3. When ready to serve, whisk the dressing ingredients together in the empty serving bowl, tipping the bowl so the dressing gets up on the sides. Add the salad mixture (plus the cheese, pear, and nuts if you prepped the rest ahead of time), and toss lightly. Tossing the greens this way will help evenly coat the spinach, and keep it from getting too bruised and wilty.
4. Serve with crusty bread.