Oh, joy! May is here, and Farmers' Markets are abuzz across the nation. Fresh produce becomes a wider and fuller kaleidoscope of possibility with each passing week. I love this time of year beyond description, most notably how easy it is to make stunning little vegetable dishes with very few stellar ingredients. Strawberries are at their zenith, and spinach is most fully in its depth. The better to combine them in a salad, my dear.

But wait. Strawberries and... spinach? Is this some kind of California -fusion self-parody gone amok? Or can it really work and even taste good? Before I answer your question (and my answer will likely be no surprise) let me just share with you how my recipe process unfolds, especially in this season.

I go to the farmers' market with large, empty canvas bags, a wad of cash, and no plans or shopping lists whatsoever. I walk up and down the length of the transformed Berkeley street (it's only a single block here, but a rather densely packed one) and case the joint to get the lay of the fruits of the land. Then I go backwards–retracing my steps, that is–and buy pretty much everything that is beautiful. Which is, hmmm, just about everything. Visual stimuli are the primary inspiration ("Yes, please, I'd like one large Edible Riot of Color, thank you!") and the olfactory motivation is also strong. It is here and only here–and now and only now–that a fat carrot pulled from the earth just hours earlier smells like Carrotness Itself, and tiny, tight crimson strawberries smell almost heartbreakingly like, well, Childhood.

I come home from the market with heavy bags, and unpack them slowly. I lay out all the gorgeous produce, putting some of it into bowls, other items into baskets. I arrange and rearrange, thinking Still Life. I sort and re-sort, thinking, "Dinner!" And sometimes (often) a combination will occur to me simply from seeing two items sitting next to each other on the kitchen counter, catching the light, and challenging me to create something new and playful. "How could this be anything but wonderful? " I wonder, as I reach for the bag of squeakingly crisp, curly spinach leaves, the crayola-purple onion, the fresh, unseasoned goat cheese, and, yep- a few handfuls of those pure and innocent strawberries.

With spinach salads, I find myself wanting the leaves to either be rendered into quite-small pieces, or wilted altogether by warm oil . That's because the leaves tend to be sturdy, which is a wonderful trait, but it does make extra chewing necessary. In this salad, I want the leaves to retain their crunch, so rather than wilt them into a more compliant state, I chop or tear them into small pieces. You could conceivably even shred them with a very sharp knife to create almost slaw- like shreds ("chifonnade" in culinary dialect). Then, keep the strawberry units on the large size, and with the red onion thrown in, you have a visually stunning situation.

Scare the harshness out of the onions with boiling water!

Red onions can be harsh, as we all know, and many people tend to avoid them for this reason. But don't miss out on one of the liveliest flavors you could possibly add to a salad! You can soften the edges of their flavor by giving them a hot shower in a colander with boiling water. As the water passes over and through the onions, it cooks them slightly, taking with it the sometimes nasty sharp overtaste, and leaving behind a pungent sweetness that adds a complexity to any dish, particularly this salad.

The dressing is a simple balsamic vinagrette with just a touch of buttermilk for creaminess. You can make it up to several days ahead of time. Just be sure to dress the salad at the very last minute so everything stays perky.

On a very warm day, this can be a main dish for lunch or even dinner. Serve it with a crusty sourdough baguette and your favorite mushroom soup, for a very nice series of flavor contrasts.

1. (Do this ahead of time.) Boil about a quart and a half of water. Place the onion slices in a colander in the sink, and douse them with the boiling water. Drain thoroughly, then dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. Stem the spinach, and tear or chop the leaves into fairly small pieces (your call) into a large salad bowl.
3. Add the onion slices and the strawberries. Crumble in the goat cheese.
4. Pour in a modest amount of the dressing (just enough to coat all the spinach) and toss until everything is touched by the dressing. Grind in some fresh black pepper and serve right away.