Spinach, Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Proscuitto

My friends at the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood, Mississippi shared this spinach salad recipe with me. Located in various cities around the country, these facilities offer courses in a variety of cuisines that are appropriate for any level of cooking ability.

Created by on February 2, 2015

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 medium lime)
  • 1/2 cup canola or grapeseed oil

Salad

  • 4 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves
  • 1 medium pink grapefruit
  • 1 medium ripe avocado
  • 4 prosciutto about 4 slices, very thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Start with the dressing. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, except the oil, in a medium mixing bowl; slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly and vigorously to emulsify.
  2. Set the dressing aside and start on the salad.
  3. Wash and dry the spinach and place it in a large mixing bowl.
  4. Using a sharp knife cut the skin and pith from the grapefruit, revealing the inner fruit. Working over a small bowl to catch the juice, make v-shaped cuts between the membranes to release the fruit segments; reserve the segments and juice until needed.
  5. Slice the avocado in half lengthwise around the pit. Remove the pit, then cut each half lengthwise into 2 pieces. Peel the skins off each avocado quarter, then slice each quarter lengthwise into thirds; brush with some of the reserved grapefruit juice. Set aside until needed.
  6. Toss the spinach with 3 tablespoonfuls of the dressing. Divide the spinach evenly between four chilled salad plates.
  7. Attractively arrange 3 avocado slices and 3 grapefruit segments, overlapping like flower petals, on top of the spinach.
  8. Roll the prosciutto slices into roses, using 1 ounce of prosciutto per salad; set a prosciutto rose in the center of the avocado and grapefruit slices.
  9. Drizzle with a bit of the remaining dressing, and serve immediately.