Warm salad of spinach, field mushrooms and blue cheese. Photo / Babiche Martens
Warm salad of spinach, field mushrooms and blue cheese. Photo / Babiche Martens
KEY POINTS:
Serves 4
1 large bunch spinach
8 shallots
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 sprig rosemary
cup red wine
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
3 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
1 Tbs olive oil, plus extra
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 field mushrooms
Tbs butter
150g blue cheese, preferably crumbly, such as gorgonzola
1 Pick the spinach leaves,keeping some of the stalk and gently rinse off the dirt, set aside.
2 Preheat oven to 200C. In a small baking dish, add the peeled and separated shallots, the sliced garlic and the rosemary. In a small dish, whisk together the wine, mustard, vinegar and honey. Pour over the shallots with some olive oil and season. Bake for 30 minutes.
3 Heat a fry pan. Wipe any dirt off the mushrooms using a damp cloth or paper towel. Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the butter into the pan then add the mushrooms, season and cook over a gentle heat until the mushrooms are tender. Remove, wipe out the pan then return to the heat. Add another tablespoon of oil and quickly wilt the spinach.
4 Arrange the spinach and mushrooms on serving plates then add the shallots and crumble over the blue cheese. Spoon the warm juices from the shallots over the salad before serving.
