Yesterday was such a pearl of a day. My friend Meg hooked me up with a bag of some of the most spectacular winter field greens I've ever seen from the Natick Organic Community Farm. Then I went to visit Hopestill Farm in Sherborn, owned an operated by my friend Richard Robinson, where he picked me a beautiful bag of baby spinach. Truly, with 20" of snow on the ground, these greens were like winter jewels.
With delicate greens like these, a simple dressing is all you need. In fact, a squeeze of lemon or a little extra virgin olive oil would probably be just fine. But the recipe that follows is a family favorite and my daily go-to dressing, inspired by my sister who lives in Vermont, and by my Mom who taught me everything I know about good, honest cooking. It was perfect for these greens...so much so, that after I shot the pictures this morning, I had the salad for breakfast!Here's the thing - this dressing is as easy and quick to make as opening a bottle of slimy store bought salad dressing, but without all the preservatives, calories and food coloring. Admittedly, there are some decent brands on the market, but I think that once you try this recipe, you'll only turn to the bottled stuff in moments of deep dressing desperation.
Maple Balsamic Dressing
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup good quality balsamic vinegar
3/4 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. coarse grain mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Add all ingredients in a bowl, cup or cruet and whisk to emulsify. Taste for seasoning and correct as desired.
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