Napa Valley Harvest Salad

The ingredients in this salad are an homage to my growing up years in Napa Valley. The combination of sweetness from the pear and crunchy grapes combined with the savory taste of the rosemary focaccia, fennel, and tangy goat cheese take me right back to all the flavors I was surrounded by and remember so fondly while living there. The dressing is a lovely vinaigrette made from a red wine reduction that carries the true spirit of wine country through this dish. 

To make it I combine a bag of mixed salad greens with fresh pear and carrot ribbons (shaved with potato peeler), add sliced fresh or roasted fennel, 1/2 cup of Trader Joe’s freeze dried grapes (sliced dried figs if you can’t find the dried grapes), and shredded cooked chicken and/or fresh or crisped pieces of prosciutto. I toast cubes of rosemary focaccia in the oven for croutons and add them on top when cooled along with crumbled goat cheese. I then use red wine which I’ve reduced to make a vinaigrette and drizzle over to dress the salad. 

This salad is delicious and hearty enough as it’s own main course for lunch or pairs beautifully paired with a soup or flatbread. Try it with my Mushroom Truffle Pizza recipe here! Any way you choose to have it I hope you love the taste of Napa in this salad as much as I do.

Serving: 4 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For Salad:

  • 1 bag of mixed salad greens
  • 1 half of pear, shaved into ribbons with potato peeler
  • 1 carrot, peeled and shaved into ribbons with potato peeler
  • 1 fennel bulb, core removed, sliced thinly and roasted or sautéed and cooled (or you can skip roasting and leave raw as well if desired)
  • 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s freeze dried grapes (or you can substitute with chopped dried figs)
  • 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese
  • 1 cup cooked shredded chicken, optional
  • 1 cup cubes of rosemary focaccia toasted
  • 1/3 cup shredded prosciutto, fresh or crisped and broken into pieces

For Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup red wine, reduced to 1/4 cup
  • Splash of red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon, optional
  • 1/2-1 tsp salt
  • A few grinds fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Drizzle fennel with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and roast in 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. (Or you can skip roasting and add to salad raw if you prefer.) Add cubes of rosemary focaccia on the baking sheet in the last 7 minutes of baking. Remove and cool.

Meanwhile mix all salad ingredients (except for prosciutto and goat cheese) and add fennel once cooked and cooled. Top with toasted ciabatta croutons, prosciutto ribbons or crisps, and crumbled goat cheese.

Mix all dressing ingredients together adding oil in last and whisking until emulsified. Drizzle over salad and serve. 

P.S. If possible I highly recommend having this salad with a glass of vino and my Mushroom Truffle Pizza for the full Napa experience. 


Enjoy this recipe or have questions? Feel free to leave a comment!

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