We bought two beautiful bags of fresh spinach at the farmers market last Saturday and I finally got to using some of it with our dinner Friday night. As soon as I saw the spinach, I planned on making a crisp and springy salad, so that is just what I did. This was perfectly crisp and super tasty, the grapes brought a sweet dimension, the walnuts brought the crunch and the gorgonzola gave a creamy tang. I whipped up a quick balsamic vinaigrette and that was it. Super easy and super satisfying. We enjoyed this salad as a side with some grilled Italian sausage we bought fresh from a farmer at the market.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
yields 1 cup

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil

Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the honey, garlic, salt and pepper until honey and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. Taste and season to taste.

Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola, Walnuts & Grapes
serves 4

4 cups of fresh young spinach
2 handfuls of seedless red grapes
1 cup of chopped walnuts
2 oz of gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
4 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette
1 bunch of chives, chopped
pepper

Remove the stems from the spinach and wash, drain and pat dry thoroughly. If the leaves are large you can tear them or chop them to make smaller. Place into a large mixing bowl. Add in grapes and walnuts. Toss to combine. Just before you are ready to serve, add half of the gorgonzola cheese, whisk up the vinaigrette, drizzle over the salad and gently toss to coat the entire salad with the dressing and to mix the cheese throughout. Taste, add more vinaigrette, if necessary. Top the salad with the remaining gorgonzola, freshly ground black pepper and fresh chives. Serve.