Roberto Rodriguez's strawberry vinaigrette
Roberto Rodriguez has been coming to the farmers' market at my hospital for at least three years. He sells the the most beautiful, sweetest strawberries I have ever had. He just came back for the season. Oh happy day.
He used to farm all of his 35 acres in the conventional way. Then he had a daughter. He didn't want his daughter to play near fields laden with pesticides and he started growing berries organically. And now, not only his daughter benefits but we all benefit from his choice.
Try this vinaigrette. You can add a little sugar if you need to but I didn't need any extra sweetness.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1 cup of white or golden balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups hulled strawberries
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 cups baby spinach leaves, about 5 ounces
Directions
- Toast pecans in a skillet or in a 350-degree oven until slightly browned.
- Pulse strawberries in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add balsamic vinegar and olive oil. After about an hour, pour this mixture through a fine strainer.
- You’ll have about a cup of the dressing so there are leftovers for another day.
- Store covered in the refrigerator.
- Toss the spinach with just enough of the vinaigrette to moisten the leaves. Toss again with the sliced berries and pecans.
Note: Be sure to put a bowl under the strainer. I didn’t but caught the error in time to salvage most of the vinegar.
Nutrition information (per serving)
- Serving size: 2 1/2 tablespoons
- Calories: 143
- Total fat: 14 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Sodium: 25 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 5 g
- Dietary fiber: 2 g
- Total sugars: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g