FETA, PEAR & WALNUT SALAD

A Crunchy salad featuring crisp pears, caramelised walnuts, wisps of onion and cubes of feta on a bed on baby spinach and leafy greens, drizzled with a tangy balsamic dressing!

Always a favourite!

A simple yet stunning salad - the ingredients are basic and flavours bursting with joy.

I ballpark all my ingredients, so don't stress if you don't have enough, or something is missing. The more you cook, the more you will learn to substitute...

This salad will need:

Leafy Lettuce base

Baby Spinach

Caramelised Walnuts

Feta cheese

Pear

Onion

Dressing - Balsamic Vinegar with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and a touch of preserve.

This salad is a staple at every gathering. I'm quite happy to use whatever fresh greens I can find. Be it a Leafy Lettuce, Arugula, Endive or Romaine Lettuce that pairs really well with a portion of the baby spinach leaves. My favourite is a neutral leafy lettuce. It gives a lovely base on which to build the salad.

I love to caramelise the walnuts at home, but store bought walnuts are great too. The key is the sweet crunchiness scattered into the salad. These can be done before hand and stored in an airtight container.

The Feta, for me, is the moment of bliss in this dish. Full cream feta is always the best, but I do tend to reach out for the low fat one. It doesn't quite test against the full fat version, but you won't miss it as much once its all tossed together. I prefer the taste of low fat feta in brine than those submerged in olive oil. But if that's what you have on hand, that also works!

Pears and onions... yes a rather absurd pair, but they come together very well. A crisp pear is crucial to this - sliced fine. I can't stress enough about cutting the pieces all to one size. There's just something about having a salad where all the bites feel the same...

It is really much like walking down a flight of stairs, and if you have one that is a bit higher than the rest, you will notice and stumble. Especially if you have your nose into your phone!

Same with the onions- they need to be finely cut into slices- wisps, literally. A mandolin is a good way to ensure the thinness is evenly maintained without much fuss.

For a beautiful brown dressing, I always whip the ingredients together along with a spoonful of jam. Any jam will do. I lean towards a jam of lovely tart strawberries, but its all good. Once all whipped together, you will have a lovely glossy dressing that also stores well in a glass gar.

The key to this salad, like any other salad, is how you put it all together. The greens, onions and pears must be mixed and left in the fridge covered and cool. All the other ingredients can be kept portioned out separately. When ready to serve, mix all the ingredients except the dressing into the salad bowl, lightly. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss lightly.

Don't feel the need to drench the greens in the dressing, just a little bit will go a long way and will help keep that fresh crunch in the leaves.

This salad is an easy favourite because of how versatile it is... the pears can be substituted with crisp apples, beetroot or even spiced grilled pumpkin. The variations are so many... you just need to give it a try!

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Recipe

Ingredients:

1 large bunch leafy lettuce

1 cup baby spinach

2 small pears, sliced

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 small onion (red or white) finely sliced

1 cup caramelised /candied walnuts

Dressing:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp strawberry jam

Method:

- cut leafy lettuce into strips. Put dry baby spinach and lettuce into a large salad bowl.

- mix in the finely cut onion wisps and pear slices into the salad bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

- Keep all other ingredients in separate bowls ready until its time to toss and serve salad.

- For the dressing, blend all the ingredients in a blender till well mixed and smooth.

- When ready to serve, toss all the ingredients except dressing lightly. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss once again. Do not over dress if you like the leaves fresh and crunchy!