We made a fun trip to Trader Joe’s on Sunday, and FINALLY picked up some arugula so I could try a few recipes in my Ina Garten cookbook. I was SO excited! I have yet to make anything of hers that I have not loved with a capital L-O-V-E-D!
You’d be so proud of me: I followed the recipe to a T, complete with bleu cheese crumbles to make my husband happy, and to continually make personal attempts to like the stuff. On a side note: I did like the bleu cheese in this one! (though when I ate the little bit of leftovers for lunch today, I wasn’t such a fan of the bleu cheese then.
Without further ado….. Ina Garten’s Cape Cod Chopped Salad…….
- 8 ounces bacon
- 8 ounces baby arugula
- 1 large granny smith apple, diced
- 1/2 cup toasted walnut halves chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 6 ounces blue cheese crumbled
for the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- 2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice (juice and zest is of one orange)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- kosher salt
- coarse black pepper
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Roast bacon in sheet pan for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. I usually put mine in when the oven is still cold, and it turns out so crispy! then, roughly chop it up and allow to cool.
Toss remaining salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, zest. juice, mustard, syrup, and pepper. Then, slowly whisk in the olive oil.
add the bacon to the salad, moisten with dressing, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with kosher salt, about 1 1/2 teaspoons, and serve!
I had forgotten how delicious the dressing was! Oh, it was so tasty! We had the beside some loaded mashed potatoes the first day, and with some salmon and rice the second day…. it kept well, except for the blue cheese started to be a lot stronger! Overall, it was super easy and absolutely delicious!
Mrs Claus House 