A rustic salad with cured beef, blue cheese and chicory teamed sweet pears, and dressed in a red wine vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 100g walnut half
- 2 crisp pears, blushing pink if possible
- 2 heads red chicory or radicchio, broken into leaves
- 100g bresaola (thinly sliced, cured beef)
- 140g dolcelatte or your favourite local soft blue cheese, sliced
- 1 tbsp virgin olive or rapeseed oil
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp red wine or port
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
Method
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Toast the nuts and make the dressing first as they will need to cool. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the walnuts onto a baking tray and toast for 5 mins or until dark golden. Cool. Put the wine or Port in a small saucepan with the vinegar and sugar. Boil for 3 mins or until slightly syrupy (it will thicken as it cools, so don’t get carried away), then take off the heat and set aside.
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When ready to serve, shave thin slices from the pears using a large sharp knife, mandolin or potato peeler. Mingle them together with the leaves, bresaola, cheese and nuts on a large platter. Season the dressing, then drizzle over the salad, followed by the oil. Enjoy straight away.