Joanna's California Salad
Writer and screenplay teacher Michele Em makes what she simply calls California Salad. The artistic combination of typical Southern Californian ingredients make this dish truly memorable She says, “I like most the appearance of simple whole lettuce leaves forming green blossoms on the plate." Whenever I eat this, my blood knows it is on the warm West Coast.
Yield 4 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup Michele's Balsamic Vinaigrette
6 green onions, white ends only, thinly sliced
5 large radishes, sliced in thin coins
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 head butter or bibb lettuce, separated into full leaves
1 avocado, peeled, cut into large chunks
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
pinch Fleur De Sel, or ordinary sea salt
| 1 | Shake vinaigrette and pour into a bowl. Mix in chopped tomato, green onions, radish, and black pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes. |
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| 2 | Lay two large petals of butterleaf lettuce on each salad plate, then continue layering with smaller leaves to form a blossom. |
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| 3 | Top with avocado chunks, then sprinkle with pine nuts. Drizzle dressing on each salad, making sure to deliver some tomatoes, onions and radishes to each plate. Sprinkle with a touch of Fleur de Sel. |
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notes
Two variations on serving: Let guests to "build" their own salad with side plates of Avocado chunks, pine nuts, dressing, and side dish of Fleur de Sel. Another stunning presentation is to make one large salad to pass around.
