If you haven’t tried oak roast tomatoes yet, I recommend them. They are often sold in farmers’ markets. They have a smoky flavour and add an interesting flair to a dish. Sun blushed or sun dried tomatoes also work well. I like to dress the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but you can also go the French way and use vinaigrette instead.
Preparation: 10 mins
Serves 4-6 as a starter or side dish
Ingredients
250g rocket/baby leaves salad
1 pear, such as Conference, washed
50g walnut halves
80g Gorgonzola/Dolcelatte cheese
2 tbsp oak roast/dried tomatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Drizzle of good quality balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Wash the rocket and dry well. Scatter it over a large shallow platter.
Quarter and core the pear and finely slice it before arranging it on top of the rocket.
Dice the blue cheese into 2 cm cubes and scatter it on top of the pears.
Top with the walnuts and the tomatoes.
Season with a little salt, freshly ground black pepper, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and of good quality balsamic vinegar.
Serve alone or with bread, either as a starter or as a side dish.
For details of Silvia Nacamulli’s Umbrian cookery courses on 16 - 21 June and 13 -18 October 2013 visit www.cookingforthesoul.com
