Throwback Thursday Recipe

While the crew fills the woodshed and the trout lilies thrust into bloom on the forest floor, our food correspondent Maple Trout Lilli offers her Pièce de Resistance du Printemps 2019.

She writes:

Spring is here, the grass is greening up and our wonderful local farmers up the road have been harvesting their spinach that was planted last fall.  It’s so delicious and beautiful – a work of art.  So when I came home with a bag last Sunday that was all I wanted for dinner.  Then I remembered the warm bacon dressing that was popular in the ’80’s so I whipped some up and we were not disappointed, so much so that we had to repeat it the next night.  If you haven’t already picked up this year’s syrup, come up this weekend, and on your way up to Nebraska Knoll stop and get some spinach at Long Winter Farm.

SPINACH SALAD WITH WARM BACON DRESSING AND A SPLASH OF MAPLE

4 oz spinach
1 egg – hard boiled – optional
4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped (save the drippings)
1.5  tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp.dijon mustard
2 large white mushrooms
1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion, or more to taste

Wash, drain and dry spinach and put aside in a bowl.

Hard boil your egg, if using.

Slice mushrooms and add to salad.

Fry the bacon, drain, cool and crumble into spinach.   Reserve fat.  I sautéed the red onion in that fat (or you can leave it raw).
Whisk in vinegar, mustard, syrup, S&P. Taste and adjust accordingly.
Toss warm dressing into salad and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

-MTL