11445 Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette 15 mins 15 mins 6 servings Fri Feb 22 09:36:00 -0800 2008 Thu Aug 27 12:41:29 -0700 2009 Medium American CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/11445 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:41:29 GMT Popeye's favorite salad A simple mix of spinach, crispy bacon, and toasted pecans makes for a most satisfying salad. This spinach salad makes for a great starter or even a meal by itself. Instead of following tradition and using olive oil in the dressing, we opted for the fat rendered off the bacon to give the vinaigrette optimal flavor.

Game plan: To make cutting the bacon easier, chill it in the freezer for about 20 to 25 minutes until it firms up.

This recipe was featured as part of our Winter Cabin Fever story.

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  • Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of bacon fat.
  • Place the pan with remaining bacon fat over medium heat, add shallot, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in vinegar, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard; remove from heat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Combine spinach, bacon, and pecans in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve immediately.

    • Beverage pairing: Niklas Sauvignon Blanc, Alto Adige, Italy. This dish is rich with bacon fat and tart with vinegar, so a high-acid wine is needed to stand up to both. This bright Sauvignon from the northern reaches of Italy’s Alto Adige has the tartness and pungency to balance the dish.

    ]]>     http://www.chow.com/assets/2008/02/salad290.jpg Adela Jung 49 Soup/Salad/Sandwich 409 9 ounces thick-sliced smoked bacon, cut into small dice

    ]]>     94 1 medium shallot, minced

    ]]>     1/2 cup red wine vinegar

    ]]>     298 1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar

    ]]>     310 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

    ]]>     97 2 pounds spinach, washed, stemmed, torn into bite-size pieces, and thoroughly dried

    ]]>     3/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

    ]]>     13002 adela jung 1 chow 13938 ski weekend 231 light meal 757 lunch 7346 north american 261 nuts 756 office 811 old hollywood 812 old school 384 easy 695 quick 7306 weeknight 11294 house guests 1605 dinner party 4261 feed a crowd 15300 winter weekend 15302 skiing 933 winter 1046 cold weather 39 salad