Sister duo, Mandy Wolfe and Rebecca Wolfe, founders of the Mandy’s Restaurants chain, use seasonal produce and ingredients to elevate their world-class salads. There may be a lot of steps to create their meal salad masterpieces, but believe us, it’s worth it. For their Roasted Leek Salad, McIntosh apples are the star of the show. Say the Wolfe sisters: “We love leeks! They’re onion’s more subtle cousin, especially when you roast them with a little butter. We came up with this autumn salad as a showcase for Quebec’s punchy McIntosh apples – a fall staple – and we paired the apple with a supporting duo of roasted fennel and leek, then kept things crunchy with toasted pecans and salty with ribbons of Parmesan, and then tossed it all up with a zesty lemon-thyme vinaigrette. This monthly salad was a huge hit, proving once again that good produce can easily be the star of any show.”
Mandy's Roasted Leek Salad With Quinoa
Ingredients
Roasted Leek Salad
- ½ cup Quinoa
- 1 cup mesclun greens
- 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup arugula
- ½ cup chopped radicchio
- ¼ cup diced celery
- ¼ cup Roasted Fennel and Leek
- ¼ cup thinly sliced McIntosh apple
- ¼ cup halved grapes
- ⅓ cup Lemon Thyme Dressing
- ¼ cup Parmesan flakes
- 2 tbsps pecan halves toasted
Quinoa
- 1¾ cups water
- 1 cup quinoa
Roasted Fennel and Leek
- 2 cups sliced fennel slice into ¼ inch pieces
- 3 cups sliced leeks slice into ½ inch pieces
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Lemon Thyme Dressing
- 2 tsp 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 2 lemons juiced and zested
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup simple syrup
- 1¼ cups olive oil
- 2 tbsp thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
Simple Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Roasted Leek Salad
- Combine all of the ingredients in a large stainless-steel bowl. Top with the dressing and, using tongs, toss until well mixed and dressed.
Quinoa
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the quinoa, and when the water returns to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for a further 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Cooked quinoa will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Roasted Fennel and Leek
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the fennel, leeks, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and stir well. Drizzle with the olive oil and stir again. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a parchment-lined sheet tray and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the leek and fennel look golden but not burned.
- Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use. Mixture keeps for up to 5 days.
Lemon Thyme Dressing
- In a blender, combine the mustard, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and simple syrup. Process on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined, 15 to 20 seconds. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides of the jar with a spatula as needed.
- With the blender running on low speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified and thickened, about 30 seconds. Add the lemon zest, thyme, salt and pepper, adjusting the seasoning to taste. Transfer the dressing to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.Dressing will keep, refrigerated, for up to 7 days.
Simple Syrup
- Boil water, then add sugar, stirring until dissolved.
- Let liquid cool, then measure out ⅓ cup to use in dressing. Remainder can be kept in airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
