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Fact: Being fancy and eating fancy doesn't mean knowing what the heck you're actually doing in the kitchen. Thank you Google!
The other day I said, "Self, you should impress your grandparents friends (and five star diners) with a balsamic reduction as part of the meal you are serving them." Then Self said, "But you don't know how to make a balsamic reduction." So I replied, "Ah, but Google does..."
And here we are:
Ingredients:
1 c balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
About 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
A couple of handfuls of spinach (or a bag if that's how you buy it)
1 pkg feta
Directions:
Put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan on the stove over low heat. Let it do it's thing for a couple of hours-yes, you heard me-hours. Walk away. The balsamic vinegar will reduce ever so slowly, resulting in a syrupy, thick, sweet, reduction. This can be put on anything from a steak, to my Pesto Caprese Chicken (another post), to roasted vegetables (several other posts). When the reduction has been working for a couple of hours, start to check it out by swirling it around the pan. If it seems too thick, add a little water, no prob. When it seems like a nice syrupy consistency, remove it from the heat.
Put the spinach in a bowl. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil (a couple of swirls-I never measure stuff like this) in a pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and shallot for a few minutes, until the shallots take on a nice color. Transfer to the bowl with the spinach. Keeping the pan off the heat, add a few more swirls of oil (remaining 3 tbsp, if you're measuring), and add the feta. Stir the feta to melt it a little for about a minute. Add some salt and pepper to the pan, and then pour over the spinach. Toss everything to wilt the spinach slightly. AND NOW...Drizzle your balsamic reduction over the bowl (or, if you're fancy, over each plate once the salad is plated), using a spoon. VOILA!
***Add some roasted veggies on top of this salad for a delicious side dish.
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