Nicola Graimes says: ‘The sweet softness of the roasted pears is perfect with the crunch of the toasted pecans and bite of the cavolo nero (or you could use kale) and lentils. Choose pears that are just on the right side of ripeness; too soft and they’ll fall apart when roasted. It is a salad that is best served slightly warm or at room temperature, but definitely not refrigerator cold.’
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 100g cavolo nero or kale, tough stalks removed, leaves torn into large bite-size pieces
- 40g pecan halves
- 4 smallish red onions, peeled, root-ends trimmed, each cut into 6 wedges
- 4 just-ripe pears, peeled, cored, each cut into 6 wedges
- juice of 1 lemon
- 270g dried puy lentils, rinsed
- 75g vegetarian blue cheese, such as Dolcelatte, crumbled (optional)
- 2 handfuls of fresh dill or fennel fronds, torn into small sprigs, to garnish
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2. Rub 1 teaspoon of the oil into the cavolo nero leaves until lightly coated all over. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, turning once, until crisp. At the same time, scatter the pecans onto a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10–12 minutes, turning once, until they start to smell toasted. Roughly chop the pecans and set aside with the cavolo nero.
- Turn the oven up to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Put the onions on a baking sheet, toss in a little oil and roast for 25–30 minutes until tender. At the same time, toss the pears in the lemon juice and place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Roast for 20–25 minutes until soft and slightly golden.
- Meanwhile, cook the puy lentils in a pan of boiling water for 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and tip into a serving bowl. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing with any remaining oil and season.
- Spoon half of the dressing over the lentils, and turn until combined.
To finish the salad, top the lentils with the red onions, cavolo nero and roasted pears. Scatter over the pecans and blue cheese, if using. Season and serve with the remaining dressing spooned over and the dill or fennel fronds to finish.
Make it vegan
Warm lentil salad with roasted pears, cashew cheese and pecans: For a vegan alternative, use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing and a cashew cheese in place of the blue cheese.
Recipes adapted from The Part-Time Vegetarian’s Year by Nicola Graimes (Nourish, £25). Photography by Haarala Hamilton