Apple Lemon Basil Salad Food

APPLE PECAN ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and arrange pecans on a bare baking sheet.
• Bake pecans for 8-10 minutes or until fragrant and deep golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
• While pecans are toasting, prep remaining salad ingredients and add to a large mixing bowl.
• Prepare dressing in a mixing bowl or mason jar by adding all ingredients and whisking or shaking vigorously to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed.
• Add pecans to salad and top with dressing. Toss to combine and serve immediately. Serves two as an entrée and 4 as a side (as original recipe is written // adjust if altering default number of servings).
• Store leftovers (dressing separate from salad) covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (though best when fresh). Dressing should keep at room temperature for 2-3 days when well sealed.

APPLE GORGONZOLA SALAD (BUCA DI BEPPO COPYCAT)

Steps:

• Start by making the candied walnuts. Preheat your oven to 225. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white and water until foamy, about 30 seconds.
• Add the walnuts and stir to coat.
• Add the walnuts to a strainer in your sink. Try to prop it up on something so that the walnuts can drain, and leave it there for 2-3 minutes.
• Meanwhile in a large ziplock, shake together sugar, cinnamon, and allspice. Add the egg white-coated walnuts, seal, and shake. Make sure they all get coated really well.
• Dump the walnuts on the prepared pan and spread them out in a single layer, breaking up clumps.
• Bake at 225 for 1 hour. Stir every 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• In a blender, add the white wine vinegar, oregano, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, and red onion (if you think you can eyeball it pretty well, you don't have to finely mince it first, just throw in what looks like it will be 2 tablespoons minced. Be conservative!)
• Blend together. Open the spout while the blender is running and slowly pour in 3/4 cup olive oil. Set aside.
• Wash and chop the lettuce into bite size pieces, drying it in a salad spinner if you have one. (I love my salad spinner. It's so fun!)
• Core the apples. Chop one into bite size pieces, and thinly slice the other one. Put them immediately in a medium bowl with the lemon juice, stirring to coat. (This is to prevent browning, and is only necessary if you are interested in pretty presentation.)
• Add all the romaine to a large serving bowl. Add at least 1/2 cup of the dressing, or more. Stir to coat. Add the chopped apples, 1/2 to 1 cup candied walnuts, most of the gorgonzola, and most of the cranberries. Toss together.
• Top the salad with additional walnuts, gorgonzola, and cranberries. Layer the sliced apples on top however you like.

FENNEL-APPLE SALAD WITH WALNUTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in oil, continuously whisking, until dressing is emulsified. Taste and add more lemon juice and/or salt if needed.
• In a large bowl, toss the dressing with fennel, apple and celery. Fold in fennel fronds or parsley and walnuts. Top with Parmesan just before serving.

KALE-AND-APPLE SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, Dijon, honey, and garlic. Whisk in oil in a slow steady stream until emulsified; season with salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, toss kale, apple, celery, and celery leaves with dressing; top with Parmigiano-Reggiano before serving.

LEMON BASIL PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and place over high heat. Add plenty of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to cool down.
• Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and add the tomatoes, basil, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Toss well and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

APPLE LEMON BASIL SALAD

Steps:

• To make the dressing, whisk together yogurt and sour cream in a small mixing bowl.
• Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and whisk together well. (Just to clarify, total light brown sugar is 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon).
• Mix the shredded apple, carrot, and raisins together in a large mixing or salad bowl.
• Add the dressing to the salad and toss/stir well.
• At this point taste the salad. It should be pretty tangy. Toss the salad with 1/4 tsp table salt and this will cut the tanginess. If you wish to cut the tanginess any more, add salt by "the pinch" and taste. Be very careful not to add too much.
• I prefer to add the basil right before serving.
• Basil can vary in strength, so add 1/2 cup to the salad and mix. Taste and add remaining basil if necessary. The basil flavor becomes more prominent the longer the salad sits.
• You can serve right away, but I like to let the salad sit covered in the fridge to "mellow" for 1/2 hour to an hour.

FRESH LEMON BASIL SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Mix together and chill until serving.

ELLEN'S LEMON BASIL SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Place the basil in the bowl of a mini food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice, salt, pepper and honey, and pulse several times until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the olive oil and process until emulsified. Taste and adjust honey and salt. Serve right away to preserve the color.