As a lifelong vegetarian, salad is definitely a staple in my diet. Some sort of salad accompanies almost every dinner meal, the only exception perhaps being when veggie stir fry is on the menu. If I skip my daily dose of fresh veggies, I go to bed feeling incomplete, a little “off” if you will, like going to sleep without brushing my teeth. If salad is absent for more than one day, I begin to develop something that can only be described as veggie rage; it consists of intense cravings for spinach and arugula and general ‘hangriness’.
During the winter months, I still insist on my daily salad, but often find myself craving something a little more hearty, warming, or substantial, especially when salad is staged as the main course.
This simple spinach salad with warm mushrooms sautéed with rosemary always hits the spot. Originally born out of desperation to use up a bunch of mushrooms slightly past their prime, this salad has since become a mainstay in our household. It’s so easy to make and, like so many salads, can be tweaked to suit your personal taste.
Heat a pan at medium-low and add a dash of olive oil. Throw in the sliced mushrooms (when making this as a substantial side-salad for two people, I usually use around 3-4 cups of sliced mushrooms, as mushrooms shrink down quite a bit when cooked) and the sprigs of fresh rosemary. I love how fragrant rosemary is, but I’m not always crazy about how robust the needles are. I find that leaving the sprigs whole and pulling them out once everything has cooked lets the flavours mingle really well without having to actually eat the needles later.
Add a sprinkle of salt to help pull the water out of the mushrooms. Sauté the mushrooms and once they being to soften, add a splash of red wine vinegar. Let everything cook for about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are nice and soft. Remove the rosemary sprigs and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the thinly slice onions and spinach leaves (use however much your heart desires! When cooking for two, I would usually add around 4 generous handfuls of spinach). Whisk together a good splash of olive oil, a teaspoon of mustard (I just used regular yellow mustard since that’s what was on hand), a splash of salad vinegar, and some freshly ground black pepper. For salad vinegar, I like to use Salata from Kühne . It’s so versatile and is a flavourful base for creating almost any type of salad dressing. I used to stockpile Salata whenever it was in stock at a local German deli, but luckily the world has realized how amazing it is, so Salata is now available at most grocery stores next to the inferior other salad dressings.
Add the dressing mix to the spinach and toss. Throw in the sautéed mushrooms, sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese on top, and gently give everything one or two stirs. This allows everything to combine, but preserves the feta chunks as they will otherwise melt when together with the warm mushrooms.
Plate your bowl of deliciousness and garnish with an extra sprinkle of feta and a rosemary sprig, if desired. The spinach lightly wilts when mixed with the mushrooms, which is ever so yummy. I enjoyed my salad for lunch today with a piece of crisp bread (IKEA’s round KNÄCKEBRÖD is the best!) and an episode of “The Office” on Netflix (the episode where Dwight is the ‘hero’ who traps the bat in a garbage bag on Meredith’s head). What can I say? All in all, it was a pretty great lunch.
ENJOY!
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