Ensalada Roja for a Valentine Today

Yes it was in "Off Duty" and I used it! Off duty is my favorite section in the WSJ on Saturday.
The last two entries in the Slow Food Fast was by Chef Hugo Ortega: a Tomatillo-Chicharron Guisado, and now, red salad with blue Cheese and candied nuts.
Chef Hugo hails out of Houston via Mexico and owns 5 restaurants, the latest, Xochi opened in January.
This red salad recipe, includes candied nuts, julienne apples, radicchio and endive. Trader Joe's had a red endive, a first for me. No deliveries on this one. Enjoy!

1/2 cup sugar ( I went half and half with Sweet and Low)
1/4 cup water
1 cup raw walnuts, roasted 8 minutes
Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 c Orange juice
3 T lime juice, zest first and save
1/3 olive oil
2 heads radicchio heads
1 head endive, at Trader Joe's
1 fuji apple cored, and julienne
2/3 cups blue cheese
2/3 cups pomegranate seeds ( I had saved in freezer)

Candied nuts:
Heat water and sugar in a sauce pan, stir to dissolve sugar. When golden brown, add nuts
and stir to coat, about two minutes.  Spread on wax paper to cool.

Dressing:
Whisk OJ, lime juice, salt and pepper together. Drizzle oil, whisking until emulsified.

Assemble Salad:
In a large bowl, toss radicchio, endive, apples, blue cheese seeds, and nuts together. toss in enough
dressing to coat.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, divide evenly among plates

A Daughter'S Cocktail

Last Friday, while having brunch with my daughter at Bongos in Disney Springs, she ordered a Prosecco. No big deal I said, but then I wanted more after tasting hers.
My cocktail includes Angostura bitters, a botanically infused alcoholic mixture made in Trinidad and Tobago by the House of Angostura.

                                                        Prosecco Cocktail
Bottle of Prosecco
Angostura bitters
2 sugar cubes ( for one I used equal with a dash of bitters)

Two chilled flute glass
Soak sugar cubes with bitters, about 1teaspoon
Put cube in flute glass
Pour Prosecco to about 2/3 fill
Garnish with fanned strawberry
The bottle takes no prisoners
Serves two