Mixed salad with blue cheese, walnuts and sourdough
Even if you don’t like blue cheese, I urge you to give this recipe a try. The herbs, mixed lettuces and sourdough croutons balance it in a heavenly fashion. You won’t be quite sure what you’re eating, but you’ll know you like it. Trust me.
Wine notes: with its lively flavours of blue cheese, herbs, nuts and bitter leaves, this salad requires a full-bodied yet subtly textured wine. The Verdicchio di Matelica 2020 from La Monacesca combines richness with just the right amount of apple and pear notes
Salads can be the most layered and flavourful of dishes. I start with a strong base – crunchy vegetables or leaves – then add a soft element, such as mozzarella or boiled egg. Next, I add fresh herbs for a bright bite and, lastly, the perfect dressing, which marries acid with fat. I always finish with flaked sea salt and a grind of black pepper. These recipes are good enough to be their own meal. Use them as a guide and change or add anything as your heart desires. With five good dressings in your back pocket, there is very little you cannot achieve in the kitchen.
What you'll need
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the sourdough croutons
For the dressing
For the salad
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/mark 3. Place the sourdough on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with sea salt and black pepper, and bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and crisp, but not burnt. Set aside to cool.
Step 2
For the dressing, mix the lemon juice, honey and mustards together in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste.
Step 3
Add the sourdough, lettuces, herbs (setting some aside for a garnish), walnuts, shallot and blue cheese to a serving bowl. Toss lightly, then add your preferred amount of dressing.
Step 4
Mix until just coated, then garnish with a few torn herbs, and season with sea salt and black pepper.
