Name: Shaved pear, cheese & bresaola salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Serves 4 for lunch or as a starter
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

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

step 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.
step 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.