I keep re-reading Ruth Reichl’s warm and witty book, Comfort Me With Apples.

Here is her warm salad for the end of summer. If you don’t have a garden, your
local farmer’s market can supply the fresh ingredients. We cannot resist
bacon, cheese and nuts.

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Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 pound sliced bacon-we like applewood
1 cup coarsly chopped walnuts
1 clove garlic, minced
8 cups assorted bite-size greens, such as curly endive, escarole, or baby kale.
2 tablesoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
4 ounces fresh mild goat cheese, crumbled
Salt and paper

Method

Heat oil in large heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking.
Cook the bacon, turning occasionally until crisp.
Use tongs to transfer the bacon to paper towells to drain.
Crumble the bacon.
Add walnuts and garlic to skillet and cook until golden.
With slotted spoon transfer walnuts to a large  bowl and season with salt. We like ground kosher or sea salt.
Add greens, bacon, lemon juice and goat cheese and toss.
Drizzle some of the hot drippings from the skillet over the salad and toss again.
Add salt, ground pepper, drippings and lemon juice to taste.

As usual we tweeked this savory salad with a few leaves of baby spinach with our field greens.

Brenda Hill
Author: Brenda Hill

As a longtime food writer for Where Magazine New York City, Brenda Hill, along with her writing partner, Maralyn Hill (no relation), writes and publishes books about chefs, food and international travel. They co-authored "Our Love Affairs with Food & Travel" and joined French Master Chef Herve Laurent in writing "Cooking Secrets: The Why and How" Brenda has been active in the California Writer's Club, IFWTWA, and the Santa Barbara's Writers Conference. Brenda Hill and her partner Maralyn Hill conduct marketing and writing seminars. Maralyn and I will be heading back to Rancho La Puerta in July to give our presentation on writing and marketing your book, as well as bringing back some freshly picked off the farm nutritious and tasty recipes.