Apple Gorgonzola Salad

To those of you who see the word "salad" and cheer, thinking that it was all going to be unhealthy (but tasty) dessert recipes, I am super happy for you.  For the rest of you, those screaming, "NOOOO!", bear with me.  The next post will be a cake, I promise.

My friend Jimi (www.jimiripley.com)  brought over this very tasty salad for a get-together, and I actually liked it.  This is practically a miracle, since I am decidedly not a salad person.  So here it is, the one and only salad recipe that is likely to come across this blog for awhile.

Ingredients Part 1 (Spiced California Walnuts)
1 egg white
1 tbsp water
2 cups California walnut halves and pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Ingredients Part 2 (Buca di Beppo Red Wine Vinaigrette)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp dry mustard (from the spice aisle, not the condiment aisle)
1 tsp salt
1 pinch black pepper
1/8 cup red onion, chopped fine
1 1/2 tsp garlic, chopped
3/4 cup olive oil

Ingredients Part 3 (Apple Gorgonzola Salad)
1 Granny Smith apple (half chopped, half sliced for garnish)
8 oz. Romaine lettuce (chopped)
2 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese (crumbled)
2 oz. Spiced California Walnuts (chopped)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Buca di Beppo Red Wine Vinaigrette

I know, its a lot of ingredients.  Bear with me.  Do you want to impress your in-laws or not?

Part 1:  The Walnuts

To start, don't buy your walnuts in the baking aisle with all of the other nuts in tiny bags unless you have a Swiss bank account to tap into or recently sold a kidney on eBay.  I got mine from a grocery store with a bulk bin section and only paid about $3.50 for all of them, a substantial savings.

You can prepare the walnuts in advance, so don't feel like you need to do this the day of the salad extravaganza.  Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.  Combine the egg white and water and beat it until it is foamy.  This is your "glue."  Add the walnuts and toss to coat.  Pour it into a strainer and let it drain for a few minutes.

Yes, that is a sippy cup in the sink.  I am often lazy about dishes.  Combine the sugar, allspice, and cinnamon in a big Ziploc bag and shake it to get all of the spices mixed.  Add the walnuts to the bag and shake, shake, shake.  Dump them onto an ungreased cookie sheet pan and make sure that they are in a single layer.  Bake them for an hour, stirring them every 15 minutes so that they don't weld themselves into one giant nut.  By the third stir, they should be smelling pretty good.  Cool them completely on the pan, break up any that are trying to hug, and store them in an airtight container.

We almost didn't manage to have any nuts left for the salad.  My toddler discovered them and really, really, REALLY liked them.  He grazed all afternoon.  These would be great in a little care package just by themselves, without any of the salad part of the salad.

Part 2:  The Vinaigrette

This is also pretty easy and fast, but you can't do it too far in advance.  It is ideal to do it about 30 minutes before you serve it -- long enough for the flavors to combine, but not long enough for things to try to separate out.  You will need your blender for this one.

Combine the red wine vinegar, oregano, dry mustard, salt, and pepper in the blender.  Dump in the garlic and onion.  Hit "puree".  Watch it go round and round for a bit.  If your blender has a "hatch" in the top (and even my cheapo blender has one), open the hatch, trying not to hose down your kitchen in vinegar, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil.  Blend until it is smooth.  Like I said, let it sit a bit before using.  The red onion and red wine vinegar give this a pretty pink color.

Part 3:  Salad Assembly

At last, the moment has come to assemble the salad.  To prep the apple, first peel it.  Next, slice off two sides along the core and then cut those two sides into long slices for garnish.  Chop up the rest of the apple, minus the core.  You will need to wash and cut up the lettuce, drying it in a salad spinner.  Or you can take the lazy route, which is what I did, and just buy a bag of "thoroughly washed" lettuce.  Add the vinaigrette to the lettuce in whatever proportions make you happy.

Almost done!  You want to add the chopped apples, 3/4 of the walnuts, and 3/4 of the gorgonzola, then toss the salad well.  When you put it into bowls for your adoring crowd, garnish it with the rest of the walnuts, the cranberries, and the cheese.  Then decorate the edge of the bowls with the sliced apples.  Stand back and bask in the compliments.

This wasn't nearly as difficult or time-consuming as it seems, trust me.  It was also delicious, and you can take that from someone who is decidedly not a salad person.  I hope that you have a chance to impress your own friends and family with this crisp and tasty salad.