Name: Shaved pear, cheese & bresaola salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
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; 2 tbsp red wine or port; 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 1 tbsp golden caster sugar

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

2 tbsp red wine or port

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

Instructions

1 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.

2 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.