A fellow member of my CSA shared this recipe as a wonderful way to use the escarole and basil in our share. I loved it! The original recipe was published in November- I do think that this would be a terrific salad to serve on or around Thanksgiving or as a special winter salad. It was also great in July. đŸ˜‰
The recipe was adapted from epicurious.com, contributed by Mindy Fox. I modified the proportions and used my favorite mustard vinaigrette instead of the suggested vinaigrette. I also used a Bartlett pear, our favorite, instead of Comice or Anjou. I loved the crunch from the hazelnuts.
Yield: Serves 6 as a side
For the Salad:
- 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 to 6 T hazelnuts, coarsely chopped, or more, to taste
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 large head of escarole (about 3/4 pound), leaves cut into 1/2-inch ribbons and then torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large or 2 small Bartlett, Comice, or Anjou pear(s), cored, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 ounces Parmesan, shaved (I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)
- 1/2 cup (packed) basil leaves, cut or torn into bite-sized pieces
- freshly ground black pepper
- flaky sea salt
For the Dressing:
- 1 shallot, cut into small pieces
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 3 T red wine vinegar
- 6 T extra-virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium. Add hazelnuts and toast, stirring occasionally, until golden, 2–3 minutes. Season with a pinch of kosher salt. Remove from heat; set aside.
- While the nuts cool, make the dressing. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a mini food processor and process until smooth. Set aside. (I transfer the dressing to a jar.)
- Place escarole, pear slices, Parmesan shavings, basil, and about 1/3 of the reserved hazelnuts in a large bowl.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the prepared salad.
- Gently toss until salad is evenly dressed; season with sea salt and additional pepper, to taste. (You will have extra dressing to reserve for another salad.)
- Top with remaining hazelnuts. Serve.
thebrookcook 