Chorizo Wedge Salad with Ascolana Olives

Ah, Spring Break!

It is finally here.

Hallelujahs all around!

To celebrate the start of Spring Break, I finally decided to actually “cook” dinner.  I texted The Hubs and said wedge salads and whiskey smashes (more about these later) were on the menu.

I really didn’t know where I was going with “The Wedge” until I stopped by the gourmet deli section of the local grocery store. I was inspired.

Here is my Spanish/Peruvian slant on a wedge salad.

Chorizo Wedge Salad with Ascolana Olives

1/2 T. dried shallots
3/4 c. sour cream
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 T. fresh chives, chopped
1 T. white balsamic vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 t. fresh ground pepper
4.4 oz. Danish Blue cheese, crumbled
sea salt, to taste
1 large head iceberg lettuce
1/2 c. dried Spanish chorizo, cubed
12 Ascolana Olives with Peruvian chiles

Place the dried shallots, sour cream, buttermilk, chives, vinegar and pepper in a small mixing bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Add blue cheese and stir.  Taste and season with salt and more pepper if necessary.  Set aside.

Remove core and wash lettuce head.  Let drain.   Slice the head into four quarters or wedges.   Place each wedge on a serving plate.   Add a dollop of the blue cheese dressing and a sprinkle of diced chorizo on each wedge.   Finally, add three olives to each plate.

Serves 4.

We made a meal of these wedges.   We did have a small bit of Fenugreek Cheese, another find from the gourmet deli, as an appetizer with a few water crackers.   This stuff was addictive and it is a good thing I bought only a very small wedge.

The Whiskey Smashes (more about that soon) were a hit as well.  With a cocktail in hand we sat down to a rewatching marathon of “Sons of Anarchy.”

Really, I don’t know of a better way to start Spring Break!