Since I am filling in for chef Adina this week, I will take this opportunity to be inspired by a mind-opening, culinary breakthrough that she has shown me. It is a sweet and tangy take on a classic vinaigrette. A few weeks ago Adina was making a salad dressing recipe and she spiked it with some Appalachian Natural Chipotle Honey Mustard and my mind has been blown ever since. Not only is it insanely delicious, it’s also a cinch to make, it keeps well, and pretty much makes anything more tasty. Have a look below! This recipe is based on Julia Moskin’s proportions in her NYT Cooking recipe, with specific ingredient inspirations from previous week’s baskets and chef Adina’s insights.

Ingredients:

• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, or white/red wine vinegar
• 2 heaping teaspoons Natural Appalachians Chipotle Honey Mustard, or equivalent, but recommendations on a honey mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste

Directions:

1. In a container with a tight lid, preferably a glass jar, combine shallot, vinegar and mustard. Close tightly and shake well to mix. Add salt and pepper, and shake again.
2. Add olive oil 1/3 cup at a time, shaking very well after each addition, until smooth and emulsified (you may want to wrap a kitchen towel around the container, just in case). Taste and add more olive oil, 1/4 cup at a time, if dressing is too tart.
3. Use immediately or refrigerate up to 3 weeks. The chilled olive oil will form a lump, so remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before using to allow it to liquefy. Shake well before serving to re-emulsify.

 
Earthy, Refreshing, Hearty -- End of Winter Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/4lb Mycoterra Oyster Mushrooms, broken apart by hand into workable clusters for searing
• 1-2 parsnips, julienned
• 2 large handfuls Queen’s Greens Frost-sweetened Winter Spinach (per person), rinsed under cold water and dried
• 1 Cream of the Crop Farm egg (per person)
• ½ chioggia beet, very thinly sliced widthwise
• ½ Pine Hill Orchard Mutsu Apple, sliced (per person)
• ⅓ cup olive oil or other cooking oil
• 2-3 heaping tablespoons of above Versatile Vinaigrette (per person)
• Optional: Maplebrook Farm Feta, sprinkled to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Bring a small pot of fairly shallow water to boil (water should just cover the eggs when cooking ) and drop egg(s) in. Cover pot with lid and remove from heat. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Once the egg timer rings, separate egg from water and let sit on a plate lined with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper
2. Heat a saute pan with oil in it to medium high heat. Place parsnips and mushrooms in the oil and cook until evenly browned. Approx 6 minutes. After browned, place parsnips and mushrooms on a plate lined with paper towel. Pat dry from excess oil.
3. In a large mixing bowl add spinach, beets, apple, and vinaigrette and toss ingredients together. Add parsnips and mushrooms and gently toss once more. Place desired portion of salad onto a plate or in a bowl. Place egg in center of salad. Add sprinkled feta (optional)