This super tasty salad brings a good bit of culinary beauty to dinner at home, and it’s remarkably easy to make. The citrusy tang of grapefruit, the creamy richness of avocado, and the salty, buttery depth of Dry Jack cheese create a beautifully balanced dish. A sprinkle of sea salt, the aromatic spice of the wild pepper, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and a splash of vinegar tie it all together. For a final flourish, toss in a handful of toasted red walnuts or Italian hazelnuts.
To prepare the salad, start with the best grapefruit you can find. Peel it and separate it into segments. If the segments are large, cut them into smaller chunks. Next, dice the avocado into pieces roughly the same size as the grapefruit. For the cheese, take some of that delicious Dry Jack. Trim off the cocoa-rubbed rind, and instead of cutting the cheese into uniform cubes, break it into irregular pieces using a knife—just as you would with Parmigiano Reggiano. The uneven texture, I’m convinced, makes each bite more interesting!
Dress it with a few drops of vinegar—I’d opt for the orange and muscatel vinegar we have at the Deli, or, alternatively, the Gardeny Cava Vinegar. Both are from Catalunya and are terrific. Add some extra virgin olive oil—we use the Moulins Mahjoub organic oil from Tunisia at our house (just bought another three-liter tin at the Deli the other day). Sprinkle on a small bit of sea salt. The wild Voatsiperifery pepper from Madagascar, with its prominent fruity spiciness, is a superb accent to all of it. Add the nuts at the end to seal the culinary deal.
The contrast and diversity of flavors and textures are terrific: spice, smooth, creamy, crunchy, all in one wonderful, super-tasty, winter salad. In essence, it’s an artistic act that can brighten a cold winter day in a matter of minutes!
