Corvair Spinach Salad with Red Grapes and Blue Cheese

This salad has a great depth of flavor that will surprise the palate and keep you coming back for more. The minerality of the spinach plays well with the richness of the dressing and bacon bits. The sherry and grapes balance everything out. This is a wonderful way to showcase your bounty and an easy recipe for your next Back-Yard-To-Table dinner.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, finely grated or minced

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

½ cup blue cheese, crumbled, I love Roquefort for this recipe

1/3 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

8 cups spinach, washed and dried

3 ounces pancetta or bacon. Cubed

1 cup seedless red grapes

Sherry vinegar as needed

 Directions:

• In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Whisk in the oil, drizzling it in slowly to create an emulsion. Fold in the blue cheese and crème fraiche.
• Place the spinach in a large serving bowl
• Add the pancetta to a large heavy bottom skillet and cook on medium heat until crispy and golden. Cooking from a cold pan will help render the fat of the pancetta creating crispier pieces. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate and reserve for later. Keep the skillet on the stove over medium heat.
• Add the grapes to your hot skillet with the rendered fat still in the pan. Stir the grape and deglaze the pan with a splash of sherry vinegar. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to mix the fond [the caramelized bits left in the bottom of a pan] into the vinegar. Cook until the grape skins start to split. Spoon the grapes and all the juices in the pan over your spinach. Add your dressing to the spinach and toss to combine. Sprinkle your pancetta pieces on top and serve.