Recipe: Strawberry, rhubarb and radish salad with strawberry vinaigrette

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

With their contrasting sweet and super tart flavor profiles and complementary colors, strawberries and rhubarb are often paired in a pie or crisp and also make a great filling for a crumbly coffee cake. These two are also perfect partners in a fresh spring salad.

Here, strawberries and rhubarb are chopped and sliced into bite-size pieces and then lined up in colorful rows on either side of a bowl of fresh spring greens. The visually striking salad also features crisp, bright red slices of fresh radish, creamy crumbles of goat cheese and, because every salad needs a bit of crunch, a row of toasted, salted pistachios.

The accompanying vinaigrette gets an extra punch of sweetness from honey and pureed strawberries (use the ones that are starting to become overripe).

To prepare rhubarb, thoroughly wash the stalks in water and trim off ends and leaves (which are poisonous!) so you’re left with just the stalks. Peel away any brown spots and coarse strings, but you don’t need to peel the entire stalk before cutting it into chunks.

I added more pistachios and goat cheese than the original recipe calls for because, well, why not? Both are so tasty! For herbs, I added a mix of fresh basil, parsley and dill. I couldn’t find any fresh edible flowers (such as verbena, nasturtium or calendula) to add to the mix, but if you can, they provide color and a wonderful, restaurant-worthy aesthetic.

I made the dressing with strawberry balsamic vinegar, but you also can use red wine, apple cider or champagne vinegar.

Strawberry, Rhubarb and Radish Salad

Yield: Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For dressing:

6 strawberries, hulled

2 tablespoons strawberry balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ cup neutral-flavored vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For salad:

½ pound assorted baby lettuces, washed and spun dry

¼ cup assorted fresh herbs

1 or 2 rhubarb stalks, trimmed and chopped

⅓ cup shelled toasted pistachios

6 small or 3 large radishes, trimmed and shaved on a mandolin or sliced very thinly

⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese

1 cup sliced strawberries

DIRECTIONS

Make vinaigrette: In a blender, food processor or personal-sized bullet blender, combine strawberries, vinegar, honey, mustard and oil and process until smooth.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. You should get about 1 cup; transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until chilled.

Assemble salad: In a large shallow serving bowl, combine lettuce, herbs and toss to mix well.

Arrange rhubarb, pistachios, radish slices, crumbled cheese and sliced strawberries in neat rows on top of the greens. Garnish with fresh edible flowers, if using.

Present the salad and after everyone finishes clapping — this is one beautiful salad! — toss the greens with the vinaigrette tableside.

Source: Adapted from “Season: A Year of Wine Country Food, Farming, Family & Friends” by Justin Wangler and Tracey Shepos Cenami