I don’t publish many salads on my blog but right now, like many of you I’m sure, I’m over the sweetsfest that are the holidays so when it was time to grab a dish to make for this month’s Progressive Eats event, I went straight to something green. With a bit of red. Maybe my sub-conscious is still ready to party! And this salad really is a party in your mouth. I can’t say I’m well versed in the foods of the Mediterranean but if combining spinach, pomegranate, fennel and prosciutto in a salad does the trick, I need to do this more often. This Spinach, Prosciutto and Pomegranate Salad is an amazing combination of color, flavors and textures and really hit the spot for lunch although I could see it working just as well for dinner with some bread and wine served alongside.
I avoided all things pomegranate for so many years since I had heard what a mess they are to work with. I will never have enough time to make up for that mistake. While many food bloggers start to expound on a different P word during the fall (Pumpkin), I’m good with waiting and taking full advantage of this one. Those little crunchy red seeds are a favorite in salads, drinks and desserts and I hope I don’t (P)omegranate you to death!
Look for more salads in the coming months. I’m enjoying more time to exercise and watching the foods I eat more carefully as I’m finally able to focus on ME a bit now that my move is done, my house is in relative order and well, the yard work is non existent for the time being.
But for today, it’s all about a Mediterranean Feast. My blogging pals and I have put together such a delicious meal; it’s hard to not wish we could fly from city to city instead of blog to blog and really share this menu ‘in real life.’ I hope you’ll take some time to peruse each blog and add something unique yet scrumptious to your own repertoire. And try this salad. It’s lovely and light and so good I think I need to go have another for dinner. Like right now.
- 2 cups very thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- ¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 6 cups baby spinach (about 4 ounces)
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
- ¼ cup thinly sliced mint leaves
- 2 3-ounce packages thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into strips
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- Toss fennel and 1 Tbsp olive oil in medium bowl. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Combine the remainder of the olive oil with balsamic vinegar, honey and lemon juice and shake vigorously; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Toss together the greens, green onions and mint and divide among plates.
- Top with fennel, then drape with prosciutto. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over.
- Drizzle outside edge of salad with dressing to serve.
Join Us for a Mediterranean Feast
Appetizers
Salad
- Prosciutto and Pomegranate Salad from Creative Culinary
Soup
- Avgolemono (Greek Lemon Chicken soup) from The Heritage Cook
Main Course
Bread
Veggies/Sides
- Spiced Chickpeas with Feta and Preserved Lemon from Healthy Delicious
- Roasted Greek Lemon from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
- Ricotta and Herb Stuffed Eggplant from Lana’s Cooking
Drinks
Dessert
- Vassilopitta (New Year Wish Cake) from girlichef
- Orange Chocolate Olive Oil Marble Cake from Life’s A Feast
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
