Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Poppy Seed Dressing

Today I went to the new branch of Marqt in the Utrechtsestraat in Amsterdam. The store specializes in local products, organic, and fair trade food. They have a great fresh herb selection, a cheese counter that includes cheeses from small producers in Holland, France, Italy, and even a white cheddar  from England. They also have organically raised meat and poultry and MFC fish, all very attractively presented. Needless to say, I picked up lots of stuff just to try (smoked mozzarella, fresh chervil, spiced smoked mackerel, a chunk of Pecorino) and some good-looking fresh spinach and beautiful local strawberries (in August!)

The spinach, strawberries, and Pecorino were the inspiration for today's post. I found a poppy seed dressing recipe, but even on paper it looked way too sweet, so I cut the sugar in half. When I taste tested, it was still too sweet, so I added more vinegar and oil and eventually got them to balance out. The pink color comes from the red onion. I had two helpings of the resulting salad!

Poppy Seed Dressing

Source: Adapted from Food.People.Want

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoons dry mustard 

2 tablespoons finely grated red onion (1 small onion)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

If you have a small blender, use it. Otherwise, you can mix this by hand.

1. Thorough mix the sugar, mustard, grated onion, salt, and vinegar until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Gradually add the oil, mixing constantly to emulsify the oil and vinegar.
3. Add the poppy seeds and ground pepper. The dressing can be stored in the fridge for several weeks.

Salad

I never bother measuring amounts for salad, since it depends on how many you are feeding, and you can adjust the proportions of ingredients as you please. The cheese and nuts provide a nice contrast with the sweetness of the fruit and dressing.

fresh spinach leaves, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
sliced strawberries (I think 2-3 strawberries per serving is about right)
shaved pecorino or Parmesan cheese
toasted pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts