what app or salad to serve with linguine al frutti di mare?

[ellie531]

i plan to serve the meal outside and would like the first course to be pretty light. i was thinking about either a shaved asparagus salad or this recipe (http://www.food52.com/recipes/5101_bu...) might be good, but any other suggestions would be great!

[Phurstluv]

I would personally just go bonkers over an arugula, parmesan and lemon vinaigrette.

[magiesmom]

me too!

[rjbh20]

Not a fan of fennel. but i do an orange & red onion salad with oil cured olives that might work here. Also, it may be hackneyed, but if you've got a ripe honeydew, prosciutto e melone is awfully nice.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i wouldn't do the mozzarella & plum recipe - too much going on there and the plum & mint just don't sound like the right fit with the linguini ingredients.

the asparagus salad is a great idea...or grilled asparagus would be a lovely alternative. and i like 4Snisl's fennel & orange suggestion.

i do a warm spinach salad with prosciutto, basil & pine nuts that immediately came to mind when i saw the title...let me know if you want me to post details.

[ellie531]

the warm spinach salad sounds great, i would really appreciate details.

[goodhealthgourmet]

sure thing! i think i may have gotten the idea from an old Silver Palate recipe, though i've tweaked it over the years. oh, and if you have access to fresh figs, dice a couple and scatter the pieces over the top - it's a truly delicious addition.

GHG’S WARM SPINACH SALAD WITH BASIL AND PINE NUTS
Serves 8

1 lb. baby spinach
1 large bunch of basil
Juice and minced zest of one large lemon
½ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
½ cup pine nuts
6 oz. prosciutto, julienned
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt & pepper

Toss the spinach and basil together in a large serving bowl and set aside.

In a medium skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and sauté just until golden. Remove the garlic with a spider or fine-mesh sieve – either set it aside to toss with the finished salad, or discard. Add the pine nuts to the warm garlic oil and toast until they begin to brown. Add lemon juice and prosciutto, and cook for 1-2 minutes until prosciutto is heated through.

Pour the warm dressing over the spinach & basil, add lemon zest, (and reserved garlic if desired), season with salt and pepper, and garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

[4Snisl]

A fennel and orange salad with some olives would be pretty light....and pretty!

[ROCKLES]

Butter lettuce, pear, walnut with brie salad would be light. just don't use a heavy dressing.
or avocado citrus salad- I saw a recipe yesterday on, I believe yahoo, that looked great
http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/st...