Mimosa Salad w/ Sunflower Oil Dressing

We happened upon Rory O’Connell’s cooking show on PBS while he was making this salad.

I’ve made it twice since. So refreshing and the dressing adds the perfect finishing touch. Dressing is so good that I’ll definitely try it with other salad. This is also a salad that could be modified. For example, I added chopped tomatoes to ours. 

Russian in origin, Mimosa salad got its name because of its reminiscence of mimosa spring flowers scattered on the snow. The similarity is achieved by crumbling and scattering boiled egg yolk on the surface. The salad's popularity in the  USSR has led to the emergence of a wide variety of recipes. So obviously, the name refers to a flower and not the champagne drink!
Wright Farms Sunflower Oil is available in Abilene at C’est La Vie, Things to fall in love with.

Mimosa Salad with Sunflower Oil Dressing 4 servings

4 hand-fulls of organic mixed leaves: watercress, wild garlic, butterhead, chicory leaves, chervil sprigs, coarsely chopped spring chives, etc.

2 eggs 

16 fat Kalamata olives (or black olives if that’s all you have

1 tomato, diced (this was my addition)

12 thin Parmesan shavings or pieces

Sunflower Oil Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sunflower oil (Wright Farms Sunflower Oil)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I used a light colored version)

1 small garlic clove, peeled & finely crushed

Pinch salt & pepper

1. Egg Prep: Hard boil the eggs. Remove from the saucepan immediately and cool under a cold running tap. Remove the shell and cut the hard boiled eggs in half.
2. Chop the white finely.
3. Pass the yolk through a sieve, using the back of a soup spoon to push the egg through to achieve a mimosa type effect. Keep the chopped white and sieved yolk separate.                  
4. Olive Prep: Stone the olives by gently squashing them on a chopping board with the back of a chopping knife and removing the stones.  
5. Chop the olive flesh finely and reserve.
6. Sunflower Oil Dressing: Mix the ingredients for the dressing together, taste and correct seasoning.
   
7. Salad Assembly: Place the leaves in a large bowl and dress with just enough dressing to make the leaves glisten.
8. On either a large platter or four large plates, first place a wide broken circle of the chopped olive on plate(s).
9. Divide and spread the egg white in the center of the circles of olive.
10. Top with chopped tomatoes.
    
11. Place the leaves in a light pile on top of the egg white.
12. Sprinkle the egg yolk "mimosa" on each salad.
    
13. Gently, place 3 Parmesan shavings or pieces on each salad. Serve immediately. 

Recipe without photos . . .

Mimosa Salad with Sunflower Oil Dressing   4 servings

4 hand-fulls of organic mixed leaves: watercress, wild garlic, butterhead, chicory leaves, chervil sprigs, coarsely chopped spring chives, etc.

2 eggs 

16 fat Kalamata olives (or black olives if that’s all you have

1 tomato, diced (this was my addition)

12 thin Parmesan shavings or pieces

Sunflower Oil Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons sunflower oil (Wright Farms Sunflower Oil)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (I used a light colored version)

1 small garlic clove, peeled & finely crushed

Pinch salt & pepper

1. Egg Prep: Hard boil the eggs. Remove from the saucepan immediately and cool under a cold running tap. Remove the shell and cut the hard boiled eggs in half.
2. Chop the white finely.
3. Pass the yolk through a sieve, using the back of a soup spoon to push the egg through to achieve a mimosa type effect. Keep the chopped white and sieved yolk separate.                  
4. Olive Prep: Stone the olives by gently squashing them on a chopping board with the back of a chopping knife and removing the stones.  
5. Chop the olive flesh finely and reserve.
6. Sunflower Oil Dressing: Mix the ingredients for the dressing together, taste and correct seasoning.
7. Salad Assembly: Place the leaves in a large bowl and dress with just enough dressing to make the leaves glisten.
8. On either a large platter or four large plates, first place a wide broken circle of the chopped olive on plate(s).
9. Divide and spread the egg white in the center of the circles of olive.
10. Top with chopped tomatoes.
11. Place the leaves in a light pile on top of the egg white.
12. Sprinkle the egg yolk "mimosa" on each salad.
13. Gently, place 3 Parmesan shavings or pieces on each salad. Serve immediately.