This salad is for my Australian friends being that they are entering into Autumn and this is a serious Autumn salad – in every way. From the sweet roasted onions and beets through to the crisp lettuces and pear – all set off by the creamy and slightly salty (fabulous, fabulous and one more time – fabulous) taste of the Roquefort.
Along with the flavours and textures, this salad also has a compelling range of purple hues that makes for a very pretty platter on your dinner table.
Whoever described salad as ‘rabbit food’ was clearly not talking about this one. Mind you, even a plain iceberg lettuce tastes good with the right dressing – so who knows what they were talking about and it doesn’t matter anyway. For those of you living in the Northern hemmisphere – enjoy the magic that Autumn brings, the falling leaves and golden colours, and try this salad if you get the chance.
Ingredients
3/4 cup walnuts
2 medium red onions, each cut into 6 wedges through the root ends
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Sea salt
4 medium beetroot
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 large firm pear such as Bosc—quartered, cored lengthwise and cut into 16 slices
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large head of radicchio (around 1 pound), leaves torn into bite-size pieces
1 endive, cored and leaves halved crosswise
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup of Roquefort cheese, crumbled
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast for 8 minutes, until fragrant. Let the walnuts cool, then coarsely chop them.
Increase the oven temperature to 450°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the onion wedges with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt. Roast the onions for about 25 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned in spots. Let the onion wedges cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cover the beets with water and bring to a boil. Simmer the beets over moderately high heat until almost tender, about 25 minutes; drain and let cool slightly. Peel the beets and cut each one into 6 wedges. Transfer the beets to a small baking dish and toss them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar; season with salt. Roast the beets for about 15 minutes, turning once, until tender. Let the beets cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, toss the sliced pear with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. In a large bowl, toss the radicchio and endive with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Mound the salad onto a platter and top with the walnuts, onions, beets, pears and Roquefort. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.
Source: Neil Perry
© 2011, Michelle. All rights reserved.
