Creamy Blue Cheese and Chicory Salad

Have you ever eaten something from the chicory family? Members include bitter greens such as radicchio, escarole, and endive, among others. I rarely tried to cook with these vegetables until I joined my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program) and started receiving them in my weekly box of vegetables chosen by the farm. I won’t tell a lie, the first few times I cooked with them were utter failures. The chicory was either off in texture or way too bitter for my taste. Where some may have given up, I saw chicories as a personal challenge. I was determined to find ways for me to eat them! This salad was an early breakthrough. By chopping the chicory into small enough bites and balancing the salad with a mix of sweet, savory, and crunch, I found myself not only eating escarole, but reaching for seconds.

·         Celery

·         Escarole

·         Blue Potatoes

·         Bacon

·         Blue Cheese

·         Greek Yogurt

·         Mayonnaise (Avocado Mayo is preferred)

·         Lemon

·         White Wine Vinegar

·         Minced Garlic

·         Salt and Pepper

1)      Peel the blue potatoes and dice into cubes. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the potatoes, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the potatoes are soft enough to poke with a fork. Hint: watch them carefully towards the end, as you don’t want to overcook them. When the potatoes have cooked, strain and run them under cold water. Set aside.

2)      While the potatoes are cooking, heat a frying pan to low/medium heat and cook the bacon to desire crispness. Because we’ll be crumbling the bacon, I recommend cooking on the crispier side. How to cook bacon? Place strips in the pan. When the bacon starts to leach fat, begin flipping strips every 30 seconds or so until cooked through. Remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with paper towels. Once the bacon has cooled, chop into crumbles.

3)      Wash and chop the celery ribs into small dices and the escarole into small pieces. Next, chop the celery’s leafy center into small pieces, like parsley. Set aside.

4)      The last step is to make the blue cheese dressing. Inspired by skinnytaste.com*, this creamy, tangy dressing is a probiotic pleasure given it’s made with Greek yogurt! I recommend mixing dressings directly in the jar that you will store them. Combine ¾ cup crumbled blue cheese, 6 ounces of whole fat Greek Yogurt, 1 tablespoon avocado mayo, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, and fresh grinds of salt and pepper. Shake well.

5)      Combine the potatoes, celery, escarole, and dressing in a bowl. Plate, then top with minced celery hearts and crumbled bacon.