Green Juice Salad

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4 servings

For the juice

2 cups sorrel and 2 cups spinach, OR 4 cups spinach
1/2 medium ripe, but not soft, pear, peeled and cored
2 to 3 celery stalks
1/2 medium garlic clove
a few slices of hot green chile, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
pinch of salt

For the Salad

1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice
4 ounce ball buffalo mozzarella, torn into 8 pieces
1 medium avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice

Instructions

Prepare the salad first. Put the diced zucchini and cucumber into a bowl and place in the fridge to chill. Put the mozzarella into a strainer to drain and keep in the fridge. (The avocado should be cut just before serving or it will brown.)

Put the juice ingredients, with a cup of cold water, in a blender and combine until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Taste and adjust the flavor accordingly. It should be strong with a little spice and heat. Keep chilled until you are ready to serve. The juice will keep for up to 1 day in the fridge.

Pour the juice into individual glasses or one large bowl and add the vegetables and cheese just before serving.

About this recipe

"This unusual first course is based on Ignacio Mattos’ Burrata with Salsa Verde at his incredible restaurant in New York, Estela, where he serves a whole ripe burrata in a green sea of spicy sorrel juice. If you can find sorrel, use it in combination with spinach; otherwise spinach is a good alternative.

I like to serve this before a meal or after a main course in vintage Champagne glasses, because it is so refreshing. It is also good for breakfast on a sunny day, in which case, I leave out the garlic." -- Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi

Recipe from Around the World in 120 Salads by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi, Published by Kyle Books, Photographed by Helen Cathcart.