Spinach Salad with Chorizo and Chives

We tasted some wonderful dishes down in Spain over the winter period and I promised you all a few recipes so here is a nice simple one to get you ready for the summer weather. In Spain it is called Ensalada de espinacas al chorizo:

Ingredients for 4 persons:

450g baby spinach rinsed and dried
4 x piquillo peppers cut in strips
2 x hard boiled eggs grated
1 small bunch of fresh chives finely chopped

For the breadcrumbs:

225g bread torn into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh rosemary

For the chorizo bits:

1 x whole chorizo sausage
240 ml olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary

For the salad dressing:

60 ml white wine vinegar
salt & white pepper

Method:

For the breadcrumbs: Cut the bread into 1cm pieces using a blender. Toss with a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 175 degrees until lightly brown. Meanwhile saute 1 tsp of rosemary with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix with the toasted breadcrumbs.

Place the chopped chorizo , oil, rosemary in a saucepan and leave to simmer until the chorizo bits are golden. Strain reserving chorizo oil for the dressing.

For the salad dressing simply whisk together the chorizo oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:

In a bowl combine the spinach leaves, chorizo bits, breadcrumbs and piquillo peppers and toss with about half of the dressing. Pour the rest of the dressing on the plates. Top with the grated egg and finely cut fresh chives.

This is a wonderful dish for that lunch on the patio with a nice cool glass or two of albariño.