It’s strawberry season in Pennsylvania! It’s short-lived so you’ve got to get them while you can.
I was on a mission last weekend when I went to Growing Roots Farmers Market in Malvern having enjoyed some wonderful strawberries at my parents’ house the night before. It was a miserably cold and rainy day for late May but there was a ray of sunshine when I saw lovely pints of strawberries at B & H Organic Produce’s stand. I met Mike Lavdanski who is one of the owners and got quite an education about strawberries. My big takeaway is to only purchase organic strawberries.
Based on many studies, including those by the USDA strawberries are the most likely of all fresh produce items to be contaminated with pesticide residues. This is even after they’ve been rinsed in the field and washed at home before eating. Mike shared that he and his wife, Erica travel to northern New Jersey (that’s about two hours away) to get organic strawberry plants as they are difficult to find locally. I proceeded to purchase four pints of their organic strawberries.
The following day we made a Spicy Grilled Spatchcock Chicken and enjoyed this salad as an accompaniment. It’s made with baby greens, French feta and Marcona almonds. The baby greens were also from B & H Organic Produce – they have the best greens (see the edible flowers?). French feta is my favorite but any feta will do. I used rosemary Marcona almonds since I had them on hand (any kind will work well). Rosemary pairs nicely with the ingredients in this salad. I finished off the salad with a simple vinaigrette. You will likely have extra dressing which you can use in another salad. It would also go nicely over steamed small potatoes – served either warm or at room temperature.
The sweetness of the strawberries is offset nicely by the acid in the salad dressing. I hope you have access to some lovely organic strawberries so you may enjoy this simple salad.
| Strawberry, Feta and Almond Salad | Print |
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups packed assorted baby lettuces (about 5 ounces)
- 1 pint strawberries, hulled—small berries halved, large ones quartered
- 2 ounces (~ ½ cup) feta (preferably French), crumbled
- ⅓ cup Marcona almonds, chopped (see Notes)
- In a small bowl, whisk together shallot, vinegar, mustard and honey. Slowly whisk in olive oil so it emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper. Dressing can be made 2 days in advance and refrigerated. It keeps 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
- In a large wooden bowl, add lettuce and top with strawberries, feta and almonds.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss well. (You will likely have extra dressing.)
- Serve immediately.
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