Strawberry season is upon us. And while I love a good strawberry shortcake, my all-time favorite use for strawberries is a light, fresh salad with berries marinated in balsamic vinegar, black pepper and a bit of brown sugar. This recipe is the inspiration, but through the years I’ve modified it a bit to suit my tastes. (The only real change is to swap brown sugar for white, and to use far less of it – you don’t want it to taste like dessert.) The combination of tart vinegar, spicy pepper and sweet strawberries is nothing short of spectacular. The syrupy sauce is so delicious, no additional oil or dressing is needed.
Once you have your berries and a bed of greens, you can customize this salad in any way that sounds good to you. I’m partial to chopped, toasted nuts (walnuts or pecans are the best) and semi-stinky cheese (goat, feta, or a bit of gorgonzola). If making this for an entree, I’ll add grilled chicken, bits of bacon and avocado to make it even more substantial and delicious. You can bet this salad will be on my dinner table at least once a week as long as strawberries are in season.
oh man, this is a HUGE winner in my book! strawberry season is my favorite for this reason alone
I’m adding this to my lunch rotation!
Oh yeah baby–that salad looks Dee-lish, with a capital D!
yum! I also love cherries in my salad when they are in season…with walnuts too (and goat cheese before). Looks great!
Great minds think alike! How funny! I hadn’t even seen this yet today
I love strawberries on mixed greens with red onion and feta or goat cheese. So, so good.
Beautiful! I’m so glad it’s strawberry season again. That salad looks to die for!
Strawberries and Gorgonzola are a match made in heaven!