Beautiful, colorful, flavorful and delicious! Great thing about this salad is you can mix and match cheeses, lettuces and pecan flavors because everything is delicious with this bacon vinaigrette! Just don’t forget the pecans because if you do, it’s just another salad.
INGREDIENTS
For the Salad:
3 cups assorted Lettuce, washed and dried (we used an assortment from Profound Farms in Lucas, TX…Aquaponics)
½ cup Blue cheese, crumbled
1 red onions, pickled (see recipe below)
1 apple
8 Nasturtium flower (from Profound farms also, but substitutions can be made)
½ cup Rosemary Olive Oil Pecans, chopped
Bacon Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
Pickled Onions:
1 red onion, julienne
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
Bacon Vinaigrette:
½ ounce Pecan oil, for roasting garlic & shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 large shallot
3 ounces smoked bacon, small diced or chopped
3 ounces olive oil
3 ounces Pecan oil (available from us! Can sub EVOO)
1.5 ounces champagne vinaigrette
1.5 ounces balsamic vinaigrette
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
½ tablespoon oregano, chopped
PREPARATION
Pickled Red Onions:
Julienne 1 red onion and place in a bowl. Bring 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water and ½ cup sugar to a boil. Pour over the onions and let sit at room temperature until cool. These will last for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Bacon Vinaigrette:
- In a saute pan, add the pecan oil, garlic and shallots. Place in a 350 degree oven and roast until golden brown and caramelized, cool and chop.
- Render the bacon until crisp. Drain the fat into a small bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients, diced bacon and roasted garlic and shallot to the bowl. With a whisk mix vigorously. Use immediately.
- This vinaigrette can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. It will need to sit a room temp before serving or heated slightly to warm the oils.
Assembling the Salad:
Toss everything in a bowl with 2 ounces of bacon vinaigrette and serve.
