Winter salad
“Who says you can't have salads in winter?”
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1-2 tsp caster sugar
- 4 witlof, halved
- 12 thin slices prosciutto
- 60g baby rocket leaves
- 150g gorgonzola dolce (mild)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Pedro Ximenez (sweet sherry)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt flakes and cracked black pepper
- 1/2 bunch chervil leaves
Witlof suffers in popularity because it belongs to the bitter chicory family but this tasty, slender vegetable has succulent tightly furled leaves suitable for many winter dishes. It is commonly labelled Belgian endive, chicory or witloof in European cookbooks and there has been confusion over the labour-intensive vegetable's title for some time but in Australia it is marketed as witlof.
Method
Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat, sprinkle sugar over witlof and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning occasionally until caramelised. Place prosciutto on serving plates and scatter with rocket leaves. Cut gorgonzola into 1cm dice and scatter over rocket.
In a small bowl combine Pedro Ximenez, olive oil and salt and pepper, and whisk until smooth. Place witlof on top of rocket leaves and drizzle salad with dressing. Top with chervil leaves.
Serves 4
