Spinach and Mushroom Salad
This salad is ideal as part of a buffet or when pasta is your main course. The tangy dressing counterbalances the alkaline nature of the spinach, while the mushrooms and cheese and texture and flavor. You can make the dressing, mushrooms, and sliced cheese hours in advance and then toss before serving.
Spinach and Mushroom Salad
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes plus ½ hour marinating time
Dressing
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
dash Worcestershire sauce
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
8 medium brown mushrooms
2½ ounces Parmesan cheese
8 ounces baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a small glass jar and shaking until emulsified.
Trim off the mushroom stems, then slice caps into very thin pieces. Place in a small bowl and pour enough dressing over them to cover, making sure to hold back at least 1/3 cup of the dressing. Cover mushrooms and refrigerate to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and use a vegetable peeler to slice the Parmesan into thin pieces on the wrap. Cover the cheese and refrigerate until needed.
Place spinach in a salad bowl. Toss in mushrooms and cheese and enough remaining dressing to coat the leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sally Uhlmann’s passion for cooking led her to publish a memoir-style cookbook, “Just Cook with Sally.” She splits her time between the States and her farmhouse in Cortona, Italy, when she is not traveling the world. Sally cooks, develops recipes, and writes stories—mostly about the intersection of food, travel, and her life.
