This blog would not be complete without a tribute to one of opera’s most beloved opera heroines- Violetta from Verdi’s La Traviata. Based on the great story of La Dame aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas, it is the role that almost every soprano I know is “dying” to sing. Full of coloratura, beautiful lyricism, passion and brilliant music, this opera is a feast of musical treasures.
Recipe for Baby Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese and Violets
Adapted from THE PIONEER WOMAN
by Winnie Abramson on her website Green Healthy Kitchen
by Winnie Abramson on her website Green Healthy Kitchen
Serves 1-2
Ingredients:
* 2 slices thick cut bacon- optional
* 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1/2 pound clean and dry organic baby spinach
*1 cup coarsely chopped pea sprouts/shoots- optional (use another seasonal vegetable like asparagus, if you prefer
*1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, or more/less to taste
*1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts, or more/less to taste
*15-20 violet flowers
*toasted walnut or olive oil for drizzling on the salad
*squeeze of fresh lemon or drizzle of balsamic vinegar- optional
* 1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1/2 pound clean and dry organic baby spinach
*1 cup coarsely chopped pea sprouts/shoots- optional (use another seasonal vegetable like asparagus, if you prefer
*1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, or more/less to taste
*1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts, or more/less to taste
*15-20 violet flowers
*toasted walnut or olive oil for drizzling on the salad
*squeeze of fresh lemon or drizzle of balsamic vinegar- optional
Directions:
1. If using bacon, cook it in a skillet for several minutes, until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside to drain on paper towels.
2. Add the onion to the skillet with the bacon fat and cook over low-medium heat until well caramelized, 10-15 minutes (if leaving the bacon out of the salad, cook your red onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil instead). Toss the pea sprouts/shoots into the pan with the onion for the last minute or two of cooking. Take off the heat and allow to cool.
3. Crumble or chop the bacon and mix it with the spinach, onions, and pea shoots in a medium-large bowl. Compose salad on plate(s), then garnish with the blue cheese, the walnuts, and the violets. Drizzle the salad with walnut or olive oil, and add a little balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon if you like, as well.
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