Green Salad with Goat Cheese and Pistachios

• Recipe by Pino Maffeo

Chef Way Red verjus (made primarily from grapes) is a main ingredient in Maffeo’s tangy vinaigrette. The long list of ingredients in his salad includes fennel, cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, bean sprouts and oven-dried tomatoes.

Easy Way Drop the verjus and cut back on the ingredient list to include only the most important flavors.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 small shallot, very finely chopped
2. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
5. One 5-ounce bag mesclun greens
6. 1/2 small fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
7. 1/2 seedless cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
8. 1/2 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
9. 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
10. 1 avocado—peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
11. 2 ounces crumbled fresh goat cheese
12. 1/4 cup roasted shelled pistachios

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the chopped shallot with the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mesclun greens, fennel, cucumber, bell pepper and onion and toss. Add the avocado slices and crumbled goat cheese, season with salt and pepper and gently toss the salad again. Sprinkle the pistachios on the salad and serve right away.