When we lived in small-town South Georgia, we used to travel to Atlanta to visit Aunt Lee, a stylish lady in the glamorous big city. Before we left Atlanta for home, we would stop by the Dekalb Farmer’s Market, which opened in the late 1970s as a small produce stand and has now grown into a 140,000-square-foot market, serving up to 100,000 people every week. There, Mama would buy the ingredients for this hearty salad to make after we got home.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　

Italian Salad Dressing

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

　　2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

　　1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled

　　1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

　　Pinch of dried oregano, crumbled

　　Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Salad

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons (see page 179)

　　1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

　　1 pound fresh spinach, coarse stems removed

　　12 large white button mushrooms, sliced

　　2 or 3 hard-cooked eggs (see page 11), peeled and quartered

　　Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

To prepare the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, basil, red pepper, and oregano in a small jar. Shake to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 2

To prepare the salad, line a plate with paper towels. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp and brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to the plate. Set aside. Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the skillet. Add the red onion and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

　　

Step 3

To assemble the salad, place the spinach in a large bowl. Add the reserved bacon and onion, mushrooms, and eggs. Drizzle over a little of the salad dressing. Toss to coat, adding more if needed. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

　　

cleaning mushrooms

Step 4

When cleaning mushrooms, keep the variety in mind. Wash white button or cremini in a colander under cold running water. Once cleaned, trim the stem end with a fresh cut, and use shortly thereafter or the mushrooms will continue to soak up water. (Do not trim before washing or they will soak up the water.) Look for cremini and white button mushrooms with no bruises, closed gills, and a rounded cap. More expensive mushrooms like chanterelle and morel, and even shiitake, need to be gently wiped with a moist cloth. Most mushrooms stems are edible, except for shiitake, which are very tough and woody and need to be completely removed.

　　From Bon Appétit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories From Three Generations of Southern Cooking, © 2008 by Virginia Willis. Reprinted by permission of Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Abe Books.