Adding Texture, Flavor & Protein with Nuts

'Tis the season for salads: the Wenatchee Farmer's Market starts today, and the first fresh greens are set out with the local cheeses, and the smell of cooking food from the vendors permeates the air. Everyone carries their shopping bags, still wrinkled and strangely shaped from a winter's worth of storage.

Regardless of what you pick up for your spring salad, consider adding nuts. They're a great source of vegetarian protein, full of good fats, give great texture and more complexity to the flavor. Here are some salad topper ideas:

Fresh salad greens with roasted walnuts with Gorgonzola or another strong cheese
Strawberry spinach salad with slivered almonds
Pecans, orange slices and dried cranberries over arugula

Recently I tried the nuts from Almond Blossom Roasted Nuts in Leavenworth. You can taste the many, many kinds of nuts they carry, and their flavored nuts are a GREAT addition to any salad, or many other meals, for that matter. Their maple chipotle pecans would be great on pancakes or waffles; the cranberry orange walnuts would go great in lemon or banana bread. Either of these -- and most of their other sweet and savory nuts -- would be a great addition to any salad, including the one below. It's one of my favorite parts about food: finding new and interesting combinations.


Bleu Cheese Pear Salad

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Kristen Wood, Icicle Ridge Winery.


Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
5 large basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey

Salad
8 large romaine leaves, torn
3/4 cup Bleu cheese, crumbled
2 pears, peeled cored and diced (Bosc pears recommended)
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped and toasted

Combine olive oil, basil, garlic, salt and honey in a jar and shake until honey is mixed in. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to release the basil flavor from the leaves.
Toast the walnuts or pecans in a dry pan over medium high heat until browned.
Mix romaine leaves, Bleu cheese and pears in a bowl with nuts.
Strain the basil leaves out of the dressing.
Pour dressing over the salad and toss well before serving.


Wine Pairing Suggestion:
Icicle Ridge Winery The Blondes Gewürztraminer

Pairing Tips:
Bleu cheese can overwhelm white wine. Keep this in mind if another wine pairing doesn’t seem to work.
Remember that the wine should always be sweeter than the food you're enjoying it with. If you're including a sweetened nut, choose a sweeter wine.

Roast Pork Loin with Bartlett Pear Sauce

Although I couldn't make it to the Taste of Spring Festival in Leavenworth yesterday, I was there for a very important part of it on Friday: the official judging of locally prepared pear dishes. Strangely enough, there weren't ANY submissions under savory pear dishes -- they were all desserts. Pamela Kiehn's roast pork loin with Bartlett pear sauce would have been a fantastic submission, regardless of the competition. This may seem like more of a winter dish, but considering it snowed yesterday, I can't say winter's quite over yet.

Roast Pork Loin in Bartlett Pear Sauce. Picture by Richard Uhlhorn.

Roast Pork Loin with  Bartlett Pear Sauce

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes from Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Pamela Kiehn, Beecher Hill House.


Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1-2 hours
Serves: 6-8
Pork
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 to 4 lb. pork loin roast
Sauce
1 cup butter (2 sticks), divided
1/2 cup carrot, finely grated (about 1 medium carrot)
1 large sweet onion
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 to 4 firm but ripe pears (Bartlett pears recommended), divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix olive oil, mustard, honey, salt and pepper and rub onto the roast. Bake until the meat reaches 155°F, about 1-1.5 hours; about 25 minutes per pound of pork loin.
Sprinkle the peeled and diced pears with lemon juice to prevent them from browning; set aside.
About 45 minutes before the roast is done, melt one stick of butter in a large sauté pan to start the sauce. Sauté carrot and onion over medium-high heat until soft – about 5 minutes. Add chicken and beef stock, Worcestershire and about one pear. Simmer until sauce is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
When the roast is done, remove from oven and let rest.
Pour the juices into your sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. In a separate pan, melt 1 stick of butter. Slowly stir in flour to create a roux. Once it starts to turn golden brown, add the roux to the saucepan and simmer until it thickens. Stir the pears into the sauce and heat through.
Slice pork roast and serve drizzled with sauce.


Wine Pairing Suggestions:
Boudreaux Cellars Riesling
Cascadia Winery Apple Wine
Silvara Vineyards Riesling