Hungry staffers from Style magazine have fallen in love with the salad at Viccino Bistro on North Charles Street. This signature salad, with its combination of tart Granny Smith apples and tangy citrus vinaigrette, has become immensely popular.
For the salad:
1 pound baby field greens or mesclun
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup Asiago cheese, shaved
2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
For the dressing (yields far more than needed for one bowl of salad):
4 each: oranges, limes, lemons
3 medium shallots, finely diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 1/2 cups blended olive oil
Wash, then zest the citrus fruit, placing the peels into a large mixing bowl. Add the shallots and sugar, and mix well. Juice the peeled citrus, straining for seeds, and combine with the previous mixture.
Pour olive oil in slowly, whisking briskly all the time. Strain the dressing once again.
In a mixing bowl toss the greens, pine nuts and cheese with the dressing, the quantity depending on taste. Arrange the salad mixture in the center of a plate. Arrange the apple slices as a garnish in the center of the salad. Finish off with a little more shaved Asiago and drizzle a little more dressing, again to taste. Serves 6.
