Succulent Spinach Salads

There’s a whiff of summer in the air in early June—you can tell it is just around the corner. The sun pops out and shines down on us in a teasing way, then just as quickly hides behind a white fluffy cloud and spring takes hold again. You never know about June—it is a fickle and finicky month. But never mind that, it is time to move the RV.

It is time to head for those back roads in the country and enjoy the fields of spring flowers, acres of green stalks of corn, and rolling hillsides with all those red barns tucked here and there.

Red barns! Ever wonder why there are so many barns painted red? There are faded red ones, brilliant red ones, and even brownish red ones. But always red!

Historians tell us that 19th century American farmers found they could make a cheap and long-lasting wood covering from iron oxide, skim milk, lime and linseed oil. This mixture gave the barn a bright red color. Its use became so widespread that by the late 1800s red had become traditional for barns. Then farmers learned how the color of the outside of a building could help control the temperature inside, so today in colder areas you will see more barns painted dark colors, and in the warmer areas barns will be a lighter color.
The American barn is an endangered species. In 1920, there were more than 6.5 million barns in the United States; now the number is less than half that. Victims of decay, fire, collapse, bulldozers, and suburban sprawl, barns are no longer a taken-for-granted part of the American landscape. There is even a Barn Saver Project that rescues barns, and a Barn Again! program that helps to rehabilitate them.

So the next time you toddle along some country road, gaze out the window and search out those historic old barns. Almost always, you’ll see a little kitchen garden close to the farmhouse. By June you can almost identify what is growing in it, and usually there are neat little rows of spinach.

Sweet succulent spinach, with rich dark green leaves—mild but with deep flavor. And, like most other spring greens, it makes refreshing salads. Spinach simply begs for fine, fruity olive oils, careless splashes of fresh squeezed lemon juice, sprinklings of fresh herbs, coarse grinds of black pepper, and dashes of salt.

Here are a few spinach salad recipes:

SPINACH SALAD WITH BACON AND APPLE
1 pound of fresh spinach
5 slices of bacon
1 red apple
3 scallions
1/3 cup of sliced almonds
1/4 cup of oil
3 tablespoons of tarragon wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of dry mustard
Black pepper

Make the dressing by mixing together oil, tarragon wine vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste, sugar and dry mustard; set aside. Wash, stem and drain the spinach; chill. Sauté bacon in a skillet; remove and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of drippings; add sliced almonds, and stir over medium heat until browned. Remove and drain on paper towels. Before serving, break spinach into bite-size pieces; place in a bowl. Add thinly sliced scallions, diced red apple, unpeeled, and almonds; crumble bacon on top. Spoon dressing over salad. Serves six.

SPINACH-ORANGE SALAD WITH VINAIGRETTE DRESSING
Place 2 bunches of fresh spinach leaves, washed, drained on paper towels, and chilled, in a large salad bowl. Place on top 2 oranges, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces. Make dressing by combining 3 tablespoons of oil, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or white wine, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon each of dry mustard and salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Pour on top of spinach and oranges and serve immediately.

SPINACH SALAD WITH HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING
Make the dressing by combining 6 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons each of cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and toasted sesame seeds, 1 garlic clove, minced, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

TOMATO SOUP DRESSING
This dressing is wonderful with spinach! Make the dressing by combining 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon each of salt, dry mustard, and paprika, 1 cup each of oil and vinegar, 1 can of condensed tomato soup, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 clove of garlic, minced, and 1 small onion, chopped, in jar; cover and shake thoroughly. Makes 4 cups.

WILTED SPINACH SALAD WITH WARM BACON DRESSING
3 eggs, hard-boiled
6 ounces of baby spinach
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Pinch of salt
8 slices of thick-cut bacon, cut into one-half inch pieces
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced

Place spinach in a large bowl. Combine vinegar, sugar, pepper and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Fry bacon in a skillet until crisp; transfer to paper towels to drain. Keeping 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the skillet, add onion and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes; stir in garlic for about 15 seconds. Add vinegar mixture, then remove skillet from heat; working quickly, scrape bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Pour hot dressing over spinach, add bacon, and toss gently with tongs until spinach is slightly wilted. Serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Be careful when wilting the spinach. If too much dressing is used, the salad becomes swampy and lifeless, or if the dressing has cooled and the spinach barely wilts, it is chewy.
There is no better way to enjoy fresh spinach than to toss it with a rich, warm, sweet-tart dressing covered with plenty of crisp bacon. And there is no better time than after a day traveling along back-country roads looking for old red barns.

HINT OF THE MONTH: In making your spinach salads, chose thick-cut bacon, and cut the strips before frying, rather than crumbling them afterward.

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Marian Platt's regional narrative cookbook of Washington’s Sequim Valley, From My Kitchen Window, can be ordered by sending cash, check or money order for $25 (includes tax and handling/mailing costs) to Marian Platt, 434 Chicken Coop Rd., Sequim, WA 98382. Phone (360) 683-4691