the vegetarian butcher

THESE SALAD DAYS...

Roast pear and grape salad, yes please!

Topped off with some crumbled blue cheese,

Drizzled oil, and some honey

And you're right on the money

The sublime taste makes me weak in the knees!

Roasted pear and grape salad with blue cheese and walnuts

How fitting are these 'salad days', with me as green as I am with blogging!!  (According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable the phrase apparently comes from Shakespeare, referring to days of 'youthful inexperience').  Well, perhaps youthful is a stretch, but an inexperienced blogger I am!

Though this is not a 'meaty' vegetarian dish, sometimes you just want to eat salad.  And okay, my intention for The Vegetarian Butcher is to move beyond salads and get to the really hearty fare, but after pretty much gorging myself on veggie haggis for a few days, i just needed something light.  Well, not TOO light...it does have some deliciously rich and creamy blue cheese in it !!!  Mmmmm....cheeeeese..... Let me tell you this may be a pretty simple looking meal but it has the loveliest combination of flavours and I've enjoyed it so much I simply had to share.

bizarre pigeon sculpture

customary Pisa photo op

Chef and I first encountered this salad together on an extraordinarily dull and rainy day in Pisa, a few years ago and discovering it was actually one of the highlights of the the day.  Hardly the picturesque weather I was hoping for, the surprisingly small leaning tower is lovely, but it was overall an unexpectedly disappointing first experience of this famous Tuscan city.  Other highlights included watching Chef's awesome uninvited haggling incident over a 'bargain' Rolex watch and discretely sharing the last of our opened vineyard bought wine out the side door of the tiny airport in front of the bizarre and grotesque giant pigeon sculpture.  They don't show you that in the travel magazines!  But I digress... 

And now, while I research recipes for my next hardy main, I offer the salad...No doubt there are many possible ingredient variations and perhaps more interesting ways to serve this salad but not wanting to waste any time, I simply plated it  and ate it, straight up.  You could most likely recreate this salad from just looking at the above photograph, but for a little general guidance, here is what I did...(sorry I didn't measure anything!). 


ROASTED PEAR AND GRAPE SALAD

• pears
• grapes
• walnuts (lightly toasted if you like!)
• olive oil
• honey
• salad greens (arugula, baby spinach...your choice!)
• balsamic reduction
• blue cheese

Mix sliced pear and grapes in a bowl with a little olive oil and honey.  Once lightly coated, put on a baking tray in a pre-heated oven at 250 degrees until they are just starting to brown, turning once, (approx 8min).  You may also choose to toast the walnuts slightly (as above), or I have also seen it made with pecans.  Add the roasted fruit and nuts to a plate of your favourite salad greens, crumble your blue cheese, drizzle with a wee bit of olive oil and some balsamic reduction and buon appetito!!