Salad of Peppery Greens with Baked Goat Cheese & Olives

Serves 8

Lots of Arugula (plus Raddichio and Endive if available) – enough for 8 servings
Handful of fresh basil leaves
1 10-oz. log of fresh white goat cheese
2/3 cup fruity green olive oil
½ cup fine dry breadcrumbs
½ cup coarse-ground walnuts
3-4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
25-30 cured black olives

Wash greens and spin them dry. Cut basil leaves into slivers.

Cut log of goat cheese into 8 thick circles of equal size. Pour 1/3 cup of olive oil into a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and ground walnuts. Take one goat cheese slice at a time, coat it lightly with the olive oil, then dip it on all sides into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently, until the goat cheese is wearing a nice little coat of crumbs and walnuts. Arrange the coated goat cheeses on a stainless steel baking sheet.

About 10 min. before you are ready to serve the salad, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the salad greens together in a big bowl with the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil, some balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Divide the salad among 8 plates.

Bake the goat cheeses in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then check them. Their crusts should be just turning golden brown. Leave them for another minute or two if necessary, but watch them carefully.

Remove the goat cheeses from the oven and quickly pick up one at a time with a spatula and slide it onto the center of the salad. Garnish each salad with a few olives, and marinated sun-dried tomatoes, if desired. Serve at once.

Submitted by Kate Sullivan ~ Adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas