Fresh Baby Spinach
Warm Bacon, Pecan, Red Onion Vinaigrette
Crumbled Blue Cheese
Sauté chopped bacon in a good dose of olive oil until halfway cooked. Then add sliced red onion cook until onions are translucent. Add a big splash of rice wine vinegar and turn up the heat. Stir in pecans and warm through. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Toss the warm vinaigrette with baby spinach, finish with crumbled blue cheese.
The inspiration for this dish came from one I posted back in January from Chef Michael Shafer. We held our holiday party at his restaurant The Depot in December, and one component of the party was a cooking demonstration. Chef Shafer prepared this course for us, then gave everyone a copy of his recipe to take home. His Wilted Baby Spinach with Dates, Bacon and Mushrooms was a big hit! The precise recipe is posted here.