Pear, Roquefort and pancetta with walnut dressing
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
8 rashers pancetta or smoked streaky bacon
4 small ripe pears, quartered lengthwise, core removed and slice each quarter in half, lengthwise
200g (7oz) Roquefort cheese, broken into small pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
60g (2oz) walnuts
100g (3½oz) salad leaves
For the dressing:
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp walnut oil
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Lay the pancetta on a non-stick baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Remove from the oven - it will become crisp as it cools.
While this is baking, in a bowl, combine the vinegar and salt, whisking to dissolve the salt. Add the olive oil, walnut oil, pepper and parsley then whisk together. Set this aside until needed.
To assemble the salad, arrange the pear slices, Roquefort, onion slices, walnuts and salad leaves on each plate. Break the pancetta into shards and scatter these over the salads.
Finally, pour a little of the dressing over each salad and serve.
Handy hint: Use a sharp knife to cut up the crispy bacon into neater shards - presentation is all!