Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Blueberry search is rewarding
for terrific summer salad

One summer a few years ago, my husband’s sister and her husband came to visit.
   After a long day of touring around, I dragged them around even more as I searched for blueberries, the key ingredient in a salad I wanted to make for supper.
   For some bizarre reason, only one local supermarket had them in stock, and of course, it was the last one we visited.
   But one bite into the salad, my sister- and brother-in-law knew why I considered blueberries essential, and why I wanted them to try Mixed Greens with Feta, Almonds and Blueberries (click for the recipe) from Bon Appetit magazine.
   They agreed it is a simply amazing salad, fresh and delicious. When they went home, they started making the salad themselves.
   It’s so simple to make, and is a brilliant side dish for any grilled meat or fish in the summer.
   One interesting thing, which has existed since the recipe was first posted on epicurious.com about five years ago: Despite having the word “almonds” in the title, and almonds was also the listed ingredient in the original magazine recipe, the one online says pine nuts instead.
   I’m sure pine nuts would be OK, but I always make the salad with ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted, instead.
   For the salad dressing, red wine vinegar, olive oil and honey are whisked together in a small bowl.
   A five-ounce bag of baby salad greens, crumbled feta cheese and fresh blueberries are combined in a large bowl. The dressing is poured over top and tossed to coat.
   Before serving, the almonds are sprinkled on the salad.

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