how2heroes » Spinach Salad w/ Warm Pancetta Dressing

Print Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients

10 slices pancetta, sliced thin
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1½ tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tsp of Dijon mustard
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 lb fresh spinach leaves, trimmed and cleaned
3-4 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
4 small tomatoes, halved
3-4 slices sweet onion
12 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
Chinese mushroom caps, about a handful
large croutons

How-to

Preheat oven to 375º
Place slices of pancetta on a baking sheet or roasting pan, place in the oven and cook until the pancetta is crispy. Remove from the oven, place pancetta on a dish and set aside
In a saute pan, place the olive oil and the fat from the pancetta. Heat to medium-high heat and add the shallots. Saute shallots for 2-3 minutes
Add the vinegar, honey, brown sugar Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat, taste and check seasoning
In a large salad bowl place the spinach leaves, season with salt and pepper
Add some of the dressing and toss to cover all of the spinach leaves. Place the dressed spinach leaves onto a platter
In the same salad bowl add the mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and croutons. Add a bit more dressing, salt and pepper and toss gently. Place on top of the spinach leaves
Place hard-boiled eggs on top of the salad and drizzle a little dressing on top of the eggs
Place the rounds of crispy pancetta on top of the salad and enjoy!

Watch this Hero's Profile Video

Marjorie Druker

Marjorie Druker is the chef and owner of New England Soup Factory and co-author of New England Soup Factory Cookbook: More Than 100 Recipes from the Nation's Best Purveyor of Fine Soup. With her husband Paul Brophy, both Johnson & Wales University grads, they are the last word in soup in the Boston area. "Feed Your Body Well" is their motto and they live up to that mission statement. Delicious, healthy & aromatic soups have earned New England Soup Factory mention in "Restaurant and Institutions" magazine, "Nation’s Restaurant News," "Restaurant and Business" magazine and "Newsweek." In addition, they have received a Best of Boston nod four years running from Boston Magazine. Marjorie uses only the best ingredients and a devotion to her business to produce amazing gourmet soups, sandwiches and sides. If you're not lucky enough to live near a New England Soup Factory location, check out Marjorie's cookbook. Beautifully illustrated and painstakingly written, it's a must-have if you love soup.