Winter salad with radicchio, green apple, candied nuts and blue cheese

Name: Winter salad with radicchio, green apple, candied nuts and blue cheese
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4-6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¼up + 2 tbsp white sugar; ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds; ⅓ cup walnuts; 2 cups of sourdough bread, diced into 2cm squares with crust left on; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve; 50g stilton (or other firm blue cheese); 50g pecorino Romano; 1 head of radicchio; 1 green apple; half an orange

Danielle Alvarez

July 14, 2023

Time:< 30 minsServes:4-6

Winter is my favourite salad season. Hearty and slightly bitter leaves like radicchio, which are best in winter, scream for slightly sweet and sour dressings and crunchy toppings. Candied nuts, crunchy bread and lots of salty cheese might not make this salad feel virtuous, but it is hearty enough to be a meal on its own.

Ingredients

¼up + 2 tbsp white sugar
⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
⅓ cup walnuts
2 cups of sourdough bread, diced into 2cm squares with crust left on
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
50g stilton (or other firm blue cheese)
50g pecorino Romano
1 head of radicchio
1 green apple
half an orange

For the vinaigrette

2 tbsp chardonnay vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

Method

Step 1
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the sugar in a small saucepan and combine with 2 tablespoons of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until it starts to caramelise. Add the pumpkin seeds and walnuts and continue cooking while stirring with a heatproof spoon until the sugar is completely caramelised and has gone amber in colour. Scoop the mixture out of the saucepan, tip the candied nuts on to the prepared tray and spread them out as best you can to cool.
Step 2
Preheat your oven to 155C fan-forced (175C conventional). Place the diced bread on a baking tray and toss with the tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and black pepper to taste. Place in the oven and toast for about 8-10 minutes until the exterior is golden and crispy but the interior is still a bit chewy.
Step 3
When the nuts and toasted bread have cooled, transfer to a chopping board and roughly chop the bread and nuts together to create smaller, irregular, bite-sized pieces, which will hold more dressing. Combine in a bowl.
Step 4
Using a small knife, crumble the cheeses into similarly sized irregular pieces. Combine with the nuts and bread and toss together.
Step 5
Combine the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake to mix. Pour this over the nut, bread and cheese mix and toss to combine. Allow this to sit a couple of minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Step 6
Soak the leaves in ice water for 5 minutes to clean and remove bitterness, then dry in a salad spinner. Slice the apple, skin left on, into thin slices, discarding the core, stem and seeds. (Careful use of a mandolin makes quick work of this, but you can also use a sharp knife.) Combine with the leaves. Zest the half orange over the leaves and squeeze the juice on them, too. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper and toss to combine.
Step 7
Place the leaves and apples in your serving bowl and spoon the dressed nut, bread and cheese mixture over the top. Drizzle the entire thing with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.