I (Kate) was thrilled a couple of summers ago when I made this salad for Amelia and saw how much she loved it. I love it, too, and all the happy memories it brings up for me. My friend Linda Eastley first introduced me to these flavor combinations. It was one of the many meals I enjoyed at her home during those formative years when I was newly married and starting to have children.

Slicing the grapes reminds me of my grandma. One of the ways she catered to me when I was growing up was to slice grapes in half. When I was very small, she probably did so to keep me from choking. But as I grew up, she kept on with it, probably because it is so much easier to do those extra things when the whirlwind of feeding and raising your own children is past and you can see that the intense caretaking labor isn’t forever. Then you are freer to see the opportunity in that labor for expressing love. Sliced grapes are more fun to eat, but you can leave them whole for the salad. You can even leave them out, but don’t deny yourself or your loved ones the pleasures of this flavorful and easy early summer salad.

Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad
serves 6 as a side dish

• 1 head red or green leaf lettuce

• 1 handful chives, sliced or 1 small bunch scallions, sliced thin.

• 1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered

• 1 cup grapes, sliced in half

• 3-ounce roll of mild goat cheese, torn into small pieces by hand (at least half of the log)

• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (we do this in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes at 325 degrees)

• Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette Dressing (strawberry on the front of the bottle) or Trader Joe’s ? or homemade, see recipe below.

Wash lettuce, cut or tear into bite-size pieces, and store in a plastic bag wrapped in a paper towel inside the refrigerator, to crisp.  

Put chives, strawberries, grapes, and pine nuts in the bottom of a large salad bowl and toss together with about 1/4 cup of the salad dressing.

Add lettuce and toss once more, bringing chopped ingredients to the top. Taste to see whether you’d like to add more dressing. When it is dressed to your liking, sprinkle the goat cheese on top, gently stir, and serve. This salad doesn’t keep well; it’s best delicious and fresh on the first day.

Dressing for Strawberry Salad, if you’d like to make your own:

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons apple, grape, or cranberry juice, or 2 tablespoons water plus 2 teaspoons honey or sugar

• Pinch salt

• 1/4 teaspoon mustard

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Add vinegar, juice or water and sugar, salt, mustard, and optional cinnamon to a mason jar, cover with a lid, and shake vigorously. Add the vegetable oil and shake again. We like to make salad dressings ahead of time so the flavors have the opportunity to make good friends and taste better.