Seeing Red

by Chef Justin Timineri
Florida's Culinary Ambassador

Strawberries are not only good to eat; they are good for you. They are an especially tasty source of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). In fact, one cup of fresh strawberries provides about 88 milligrams of ascorbic acid, which more than meets the recommended daily dietary allowance of 45 milligrams for the average adult. Vitamin C is well retained when the strawberries are handled carefully. Capping, injuring, cutting or juicing will reduce the vitamin content.

Strawberries are low in calories: one cup of unsweetened strawberries has only 55 calories. So if you are on a diet, use strawberries to add flavor, food value and pleasure to your meals. You can even eat some as a between-meal snack.

When purchasing berries from the grocery store, shop with your nose. Always pick the plumpest and most fragrant berries. They should be firm, bright and fresh-looking with no mold or bruises. The caps should be bright green and fully attached. Strawberries do not ripen after they have been harvested, so choose strawberries that are bright red with a natural shine.

Select berries that are in dry, unstained containers (stained containers may indicate overripe berries). Mold on berries spreads quickly. Never leave a moldy berry next t a good one.

Florida Strawberry Salad

Vinaigrette
½ cup Florida strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 Tbsp. Champagne vinegar (or your favorite)
1 Tbsp. Natural Florida sugar
1 small pinch kosher salt

Salad
4 cups Florida lettuce leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup Florida strawberries, sliced
½ cup Florida goat cheese, crumbled
½ cup dried Florida mango, chopped
½ cup Florida pecans, toasted

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.

In medium bowl, toss together lettuce and strawberry vinaigrette. On four salad plates, pile 1 cup of the dressed lettuce on each plate. Top each slad with goat cheese, dried mangoes and pecans. Garnish salad with the sliced strawberries.

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