Your great-aunt’s candied yams. The infamous Jell-O fruit salad. Grandma’s fruitcake (comedian Jim Gaffigan has well-known opinions on that festive fiasco—worth looking up). Long-standing traditions aside, holiday meals often feature special dishes for the sake of nostalgia and not necessarily taste. Thankfully, we’ve got a friend in the flavor business—Melanie Cedargren of The Spicy Olive.
Melanie started her own local stores after visiting Italy and realizing olive oils back in the States were lacking in flavor, freshness and natural health benefits. Now, home cooks and aficionados alike can shop her tasting emporiums for fine oils and vinegars, recipes and more … and most important, jazz up that ho-hum side dish with this fresh, tasty take on a seasonal salad that’s fit to elevate any holiday feast.
The Spicy Olive’s Montmorency Cherry Salad
ingredients
1 package mixed greens
1 package fresh arugula
1/3 cup dried tart cherries
1/3 cup crumbled feta (or gorgonzola or goat cheese)
1 apple, thinly sliced
1/3 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
1 tbsp The Spicy Olive’s Champagne and Roasted Garlic Mustard
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Montmorency Cherry Rosé White Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup The Spicy Olive’s Persian Lime Olive Oil
directions
Mix salad greens and arugula in a large bowl. Top with dried cherries, crumbled cheese, apple slices and nuts. In a small bowl, whisk mustard into Cherry Rosé Balsamic. Drizzle in Persian Lime Olive Oil while whisking to incorporate. Pour dressing over salad; toss well to evenly coat. Talk about merry and bright!
TheSpicyOlive.com | 9901 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati | 513.376.9061