Home         Events          Food & Wine        Savvy Offers         About Us


The Savvy Grapes 'Rules of Thumb'

Our Favorite Matches

Back to Recipes

Need help selecting wine for a party or a function?

SHARE YOUR RECIPES

Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to post?
  Send it to us!


BE SAVVY
 Send us your email to be included on the invitee list for The Savvy Grapes upcoming food & wine events. Cheers!


Mandarin and Spinach Salad 
with Poppy Seed Dressing
Serves 4 to 6

This delicious salad can be a meal in itself or served before or after a main course. We recommend to double the dressing recipe to have extra on hand for everyday use.

Salads tend to be a difficult dish to pair wine with as the vinegar in the dressing reacts with the wine and often makes the wine taste 'off' (when it isn't really).  The dressing in this recipe is whipped so the vinegar is not as prominent as a vinaigrette dressing. 

Choose a dry wine to pair with recipe such as:

  • Sparkling Prosecco (from Italy)
  • Sparkling Cava (from Spain)
  • Vidal Blanc
  • Dry or Off Dry (winespeak: slightly sweet) Riesling
  • Dry Rosé

Try some of the wine suggestions from the monthly Savvy Shopping List with this salad...or other meals that you are preparing!  
Salad
 1 bunch of fresh spinach (or 2-3 romaine lettuce hearts), washed
1 tin of mandarin (drained) 
˝ cup sliced almonds, toasted (optional)

Poppy Seed Dressing
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup vinegar (white or cider)
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
˝ cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (or less) canola oil


 To assemble salad

  1. Rip up spinach or romaine lettuce into salad bowl.
  2. Pour salad dressing (to your liking) and toss.
  3. Sprinkle mandarins on top
  4. Garnish with toasted almonds

Dressing

  1. In a food processor, mince garlic cloves.
  2. Add next 5 ingredients. Combine well.
  3. With food processor on, drizzle in a thin stream canola oil. 
  4. Dressing will become thick.  Adjust thickness by adding more or less oil.

To make this into a meal, add grilled chicken strips or cubes of BBQed pork.

Cheers & Enjoy!

 

 
HAVING A PARTY?
Trying to figure out which wines to serve? The Savvy Grapes will help you! Send us your menu & we will select wines to complement each course. The best part...there is no charge. Cheers!

The Savvy Grapes, Inc.
 Accredited Sommeliers
Contact us on: 
(613) 851-1785 or email

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2004 The Savvy Grapes Inc.  All rights reserved.

OUR PRIVACY POLICY: The Savvy Grapes will not sell or distribute your contact info.