Side Servings

Artichoke and pear salad

4
Easy
30 minutes
15 minutes
Wine/Spirit Pairing
Kanu Chenin Blanc 2008

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Ingredients

Method
  • 4 artichokes, cleaned and prepared (see Cook’s tips)
  • 4 ripe pears, rinsed
  • 1 x 260 g pack baby leaf Italian salad, rinsed
  • 100 g wild rocket, rinsed
  • 1 x 200 g pack asparagus spears, rinsed and blanched
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil
  • Smoked white balsamic vinegar reduction, for drizzling
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Ingredients

Cook the artichokes in salted boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water. Halve lengthways and return to the cold water, along with 3 of the lemon halves (to maintain the vegetable’s colour).
Using a sharp mandolin or knife, carefully slice thin slivers of pear (trying to retain the fruit’s original shape). Place in another bowl of water, along with the remaining lemon halves.
Divide the assorted leaves and artichoke halves among four dishes. Slice the blanched asparagus spears in half lengthways and arrange on each dish.
Stack the layers of each pear and press together to drain excess water. Place the pear on top of the asparagus and drizzle liberally with olive oil and the smoked balsamic reduction. Season.

Cook’s tips: Find smoked white balsamic vinegar at most speciality food stores or delis. Or substitute it with smoked honey: spread the honey in a baking dish and place in the smoker for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. To prepare the artichokes, cut 2 cm off the tip of each stem and top of the vegetable, remove the outer leaves and peel the stem using a vegetable peeler. Remove the choke (the hair-like structure in the middle of the base).

Per serving: 1013.9 kJ, 10.3 g protein, 8.1 g fat, 31.3 g carbs

TASTE’s take:
This recipe is also wonderful with smoked pears. To smoke the fruit, poach it in sugar-and-ginger syrup. Drain the excess syrup then cover and place in a smoker for 10 minutes.

Abigail Donnelly

Recipe by: Abigail Donnelly

Nothing excites Woolworths TASTE's Food Director quite as much as the challenge of dreaming up recipes with innovative new foods – or the thrill of creating deliciousness on a plate with the humblest of ingredients. With Abi by your side, you’ll be a cooking expert in no time at all.

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