The Staple Salad of Your Dreams

I was invited to have dinner at Sergio's house tonight and did not want to show up empty handed. Thus, I asked if I could prepare a salad and the host said of course. I must admit I had a bit of a hidden agenda---I just really felt like cookin'! And boy am I glad I did 'cause the salad was ahh-mazing. I think it is going to become my staple salad from now on. You know... like the salad you whip out on countless occasions? For instance, picture this: "Oh Suzy's coming to the party? I bet she's bringing the Suzy Signature Salad." With Suzy comes salad. Suzy --> salad. Just like that. Except I'm not Suzy.

So here it is, only I am not going to give precise measurements for all of the ingredients because salads are quite easy to predict how much of each ingredient you want or need. You can adjust as necessary for a single serving or a party.

Kara's Staple Signature Salad--The BBPC Salad:

Spring lettuce mix (you know how much you need; I don't!)

Bacon (I use about a slice per person)

Blue cheese crumbles

Shelled pistachios (so unique and delicious!)

Dried cranberries

Dressing--The Staple, Simple Vinaigrette:

Extra virgin olive oil (equal parts EVOO and red wine vinegar {below})

Red wine vinegar

Dijon mustard (if using about 3 tbs of both EVOO and RWV, about a teaspoon or tablespoon will do)

Salt and pep (gotta season it!)

Little bit o' honey (add it little by little, tasting it after each addition to find your desired sweetness)

Toast the pistachios in a pan over low heat for about 3-4 minutes, tossing frequently. Once toasted, set pistachios aside to cool. In the same pan, cook the bacon over medium/medium-high heat until desired doneness. I like mine right at the in between stage of chewy and crispy, about 4-5 minutes per side. Drain off excess fat on a paper towel and allow to cool slightly. While the pistachios/bacon are working, prepare the dressing by whisking all of the ingredients together in a bowl. If you prefer, take it easy on the honey at first so you can taste it and choose if you want to add more. I like mine with just a hint of sweetness. I accidentally added too much honey and it was too sweet, but not to worry...that's not a problem. I just added a little more EVOO, RWV, and a dash more mustard and ended up making just a slightly larger batch. No biggie--the extras are great to keep in the fridge for another time. Once the bacon has cooled, cut or break it up into salad-appropriate, bite sized pieces. Assemble the salad by placing the greens in the serving bowl, then top them with the bacon, blue cheese crumbles, pistachios, and dried cranberries (hence, the name BBPC). Store in the fridge until ready to serve and dress at the last minute. Note that if there will be a significant amount of time between prepping and feasting, add the pistachios at the last minute along with the dressing so that they retain their crunch!

Moral of the Story? This salad has it all: sweetness (cranberries), salty crunch (pistachios), heaven (bacon), and tang (blue cheese and the dressing). Imaginary Suzy's is imaginarily going down if she steals my signature staple salad!