Two things that really excite me are exploring farmer’s markets and good cured pork belly.  While these may seem totally non-related it’s the former that quite often provides the inspiration for using the other.  Such it was this past Saturday when I came upon a large mound of spinach a farmer was selling.  These were beautiful small plants cut off at the base so you had these small sprays of arrowhead shaped leaves, crisp and tender.  I grabbed about 6 each.  I think it was under $2 total.

So to round out the Butternut Squash Risotto dinner the other night we put together a salad using the fresh spinach, cubes of smoked bacon and a vinaigrette using some of the rendered fat, olive oil, sherry vinegar and sugar. A classic sweet and sour treatment.  The aroma and flavors resonate back to when I was a teenager in Pennsylvania.

The goal in this dish is to let the ingredients do their thing and get out-of-the-way   Essentially there are only three elements to this salad, the greens, the bacon and a simple dressing.  No need to fancy it up.

A quick rummage in the freezer produced a piece of slab bacon which I sliced 2 ounces into 1 inch x 1/8 inch slabs.  I like a Lardon I can sink my teeth into. First we set the slices into a shallow pan (I use a 6 inch non-stick saute pan) with about  3/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Bring this to a simmer and let it go undisturbed for about 10 minutes.

Keep an eye on them.  Eventually the water will evaporate, the bacon will give off its fat, combine with the olive oil and begin to fry itself.  I find this a super way to build loads of flavor into a dressing or sauce.  The end result is a crisped, cooked bacon and a trove of fat/oil that can be used (or not) for your sauce of dressing.  Its okay if you don’t use all of it.  That’s not the point.   Flavor is the point.  So don’t be shy.Scoop out the bacon and keep warm.  Next we add a 1/4 cup of diced onion ( or shallot), 3 Tablespoons Sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and bring to a simmer for 1 minute.  Add a few turns from the black pepper grinder (if don’t have one, get it.  Its one of those kitchen essentials).

Best way to finish this one-off is to have a largish stainless steel bowl.  You can use any large kitchen pot or pan if that’s all you have at the time.  No problem.  Heat up the bowl or pan.  Not too hot.  Add 1/2 of the dressing and warm.  Add the spinach leaves.  Toss, toss, toss.  This is a great time to practice using those new metal tongs you save for the BBQ grill. 

Add a low flame under the bowl to keep it warm.  You just want to keep the whole thing warm but not cook it.

If you need a tad more dressing it’s there so go ahead.  Taste, taste and taste again.

Now without a moment to spare transfer the whole thing to a platter and crown it with the cooked bacon pieces (Lardon ).

Never looked so good.  Now sit down and eat.

Here are the nutrionals:

Nutrition Facts Serving Size  (151g) Servings Per Container

Amount Per Serving Calories 340    Calories from Fat 240    % Daily Value Total Fat 27 g 42 %  Saturated Fat 8 g 40 %  Trans Fat 0 g    Cholesterol 55 mg 18 %  Sodium 1240 mg 52 %  Total Carbohydrate 14 g 5 %  Dietary Fiber 4 g 16 %  Sugars 2 g    Protein 16 g   

Vitamin A   50 %  Vitamin C   20 %  Calcium   6 %  Iron   15 % 

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