Violet Salad
This fresh spring salad makes for a beautiful first course. I love picking edible wild violets to make our meals prettier and the kids have so much fun “eating flowers.”
Ingredients
- 1/4-1/2 onion thinly sliced
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- salt & pepper
- lettuce
- violets
Instructions
- Start by making my Nonno’s Salata dressing: Thinly slice the onion and drop in a salad bowl.
- Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over the onions.
- Drizzle a much smaller proportion of balsamic vinegar over the mixture. (Just a few drops!)
- Season with salt and pepper and muddle the onions in the mixture. A fork works but a pestle is even better.
- The onions are ready when they get brown from the balsamic vinegar/ oil mixture. The secret here is letting the dressing sit… the longer it sits, the better it gets. Give it at least three minutes.
- Toss in lettuce and here’s where it’s a little different… KEEP tossing so the lettuce really soaks up the dressing. My Nonno would say “You gotta turrrrrn it” at least thirty two times. This can beat up the lettuce a bit but it’s worth it.
- Sprinkle violet blossoms on top of the salad and serve.
Video
Notes
If you want this salad to look pretty for a buffet style party, either leave the dressing on the side or drizzle it over the salad without “turrrrrning it” and have your guests do the tossing on their own plates.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!