Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad is a vibrant variety of flavors, textures and colors. Slightly bitter, deep green and pale-yellow escarole, clad in a lemon and olive oil dressing, is joined by sliced almonds and pine nuts, lightly toasted to heighten their scent and flavor, and sliced hard-boiled eggs, which add their delicate texture, color and protein, in a delicious, light salad. Suitable for either a lunch entrée or as a dinner appetizer prior to a rich main course, like Southern Inspired Pork Stew, Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad is quite irresistible, especially when paired with a chilled, crisp dry white wine.
Total Time: 30 minutes. Yields 2 salads.
Ingredients:
- 4 Tbs / ¼ cup Pine Nuts
- 4 Tbs / ¼ cup sliced Almonds
- 1 tsp very finely minced Garlic
- Pinch fine Sea Salt
- Pinch ground Black Pepper
- 3 Tbs freshly-squeezed Lemon Juice
- 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 cups rinsed and torn Escarole leaves
- 6 hard-boiled Eggs
Preparation:
- Combine the pine nuts and sliced almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat, toss and stir until lightly toasted. Remove the nuts from the frying pan to a dish and allow to cool.
- Hard boil the eggs, then peel and refrigerate to cool down.
- Combine the minced garlic, sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil in a mixing bowl and whisk to emulsify the ingredients; the dressing will resemble whisked egg yolks.
- Rinse the escarole leaves well, then shake dry vigorously to remove any water. Tear the escarole leaves into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl with the dressing. Mix to coat the escarole with the dressing.
- Plate the dressed escarole. Cut the hard-boiled eggs into thin slices and arrange around the perimeter of the plate, 3 eggs per plate. Scatter the toasted pine nuts and almonds over the Escarole Almonds and Pine Nuts Salad and serve.
