Individual Southern Layered Salads with Pea Pesto

One of my favorite Southern salads is the seven-layer salad. Pretty as a picture, the classic salad layers include crisp green lettuce, juicy red tomatoes, sliced boiled eggs, chopped celery, tiny green peas, flavorful bacon pieces, and bright yellow shredded cheese. You don’t need to wait for that next family get-together or picnic to make this special salad. In this individually portioned salad, I’ve replaced the tiny green pea layer with my creamy pea pesto, placing it at the bottom of each plate or dish and then stacking the other layers on top. The creaminess of the pea pesto layer means you can eliminate the traditional rich mayonnaise topping (and the calories that go with it).

Salad

Pea Pesto (see recipe on page 280)

¾ cup fresh corn kernels

12 grape tomatoes, cut into halves

2 cups chopped romaine lettuce

2 large hard-boiled eggs, thinly sliced

⅓ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

2 cooked bacon slices, chopped

Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

To make the salads, divide the Pea Pesto among 4 small glass salad bowls or mini trifle dishes. Smooth to coat the bottom of the bowls evenly. Layer the corn, tomatoes, lettuce, egg, cheese, and bacon over the pesto.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Serve the individual layered salads with the vinaigrette.

Makes 4 servings.