Dress your Salads with Cheese

Spring has sprung, and what better way to celebrate National Salad Month this May than with a refreshing yet satisfying bowl of greens and cheese. Appealing to mindful eaters and foodies alike, here are an array of recipes featuring salads and cheese.

Delicious combinations of buttery, nutty and salty cheeses with crisp salad greens, whip up the following salads, try one or make them all — but either way you will lick the bowl clean.

 

 

 

Roasted Pear Salad with Radicchio & Pepato

INGREDIENTS

3 Bosc pears, peeled, cut in half and cored

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. pure olive oil

6 oz. Bellwether Farms Pepato Cheese, cut into 12 wedges

1 Head Radicchio, shredded and washed

Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Honey Walnut Dressing

1 C. Walnut pieces, toasted lightly

1/4 tsp. dried marjoram

1/2 C. honey

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. pure olive oil

1 tsp. dijon mustard

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450

Toss the pear halves in sugar and olive oil and place on baking sheet.

Bake 25 minutes, or until pears are golden brown. Set aside until ready to make salad.

Combine walnuts, honey and marjoram with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Whisk together red wine vinegar with dijon and 3 Tbsp. olive oil, season with salt and pepper.

Assemble salad: Toss radicchio with the red wine vinaigrette and divide among 6 plates. Slice warm pears and fan out over radicchio. Place two slice of Pepato on each plate. Spoon honey walnut dressing over pears and cheese. Drizzle each plate with aged balsamic vinegar.

 

Green Bean and Fennel Salad with San Andreas

INGREDIENTS

 1 cup pecan pieces

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound green beans, trimmed

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 Tablespoon tarragon mustard (or Dijon)

1/3 cup olive oil

3 medium fennel bulbs (about 2 pounds total), cored and thinly sliced, fronds reserved

4 ounces Bellwether Farms San Andreas aged sheep cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until fragrant and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes; set aside. Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside

Place ½-inch water in a large skillet with a lid. Bring to a boil; salt generously. Add green beans, cover skillet, and cook over medium heat, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer immediately to ice water. Drain; pat dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and mustard; season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in oil. To serve, combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss with dressing; garnish with fennel fronds and generously shave San Andreas over the top.

 

French Lentil and Carmody Salad

INGREDIENTS

Lentils:

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1/2 onion

1 small carrot peeled and halved

1 rib celery plus 3 tablespoons finely diced celery

8 ounces Italian, Beluga or French lentils, rinsed under cold water and picked over

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 Tablespoons minced shallots

2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced fine

Dressing:

¼ cup sherry vinegar

2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped basil

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 head frisee lettuce, washed and separated

2 heads Belgian endive, julienned

4 ounces Bellwether Farms Carmody cheese

Hearty whole grain bread for serving

DIRECTIONS

Cook the lentils: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; add the onion half, carrot, and celery rib, and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Add the lentils, chicken or vegetable stock, bay leaves and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are just tender yet still firm, 30 minutes. Drain and discard the cooking liquid, bay leaves, thyme stems and vegetables. Place the lentils in a large heat proof mixing bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Add the shallots, diced celery, and tomatoes to the cooled lentils

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the sherry vinegar, parsley, basil, Dijon mustard and remaining ¼ cup olive oil and whisk to combine. Toss half of the vinaigrette with the lentils. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

In a small bowl toss the frisee and the endive with the remaining vinaigrette. Divide the lettuce evenly between 4 bowls. Spoon 1 cup of warm lentils on top of the frisee. Shave or slice the cheese onto the top of the lentils. Serve with slices of warm bread.

 

Pomegranate, Hazelnut and San Andreas Salad

INGREDIENTS

Vinaigrette Dressing:

1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon pomegranate molasses

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salad:

4 lightly-packed cups arugula

4 cups mixed greens

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

4 ounces Bellwether Farms San Andreas sheep cheese, shaved

¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS

Make the dressing: In a small bowl combine the shallot, pomegranate molasses, cider vinegar, salt and pepper and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Whisk in the olive oil and let vinaigrette stand at room temperature until salad is assembled.

In a large bowl, combine the arugula, mixed greens and half of the pomegranate seeds. Whisk the vinaigrette until uniform and add all but 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl. Gently toss the salad with your hands or salad tongs, coating the ingredients well with the vinaigrette. If the salad seems dry, add the vinaigrette in small increments until it is dressed to your liking. Shave the San Andreas generously over the salad and sprinkle the remaining pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts over the top. Serve immediately

Bon-Appetite from LivingBetter50!