Name: Pecan, Pear and Watercress Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Serves: 2—4
Ingredients: 1 small red onion, thinly sliced; sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 slightly under-ripe pears, peeled, cored and each cut into 8 wedges; 1 tbsp butter; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 140 g /5 oz watercress; 1 tbsp clear honey; 2 cooked beetroot/beets, diced; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 2 handfuls of pecan halves, toasted; 100 g /3½ oz crumbly blue cheese

Preparation info

Serves:
2—4

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
20 min

Appears in

The Thrifty Veggie

By Nicola Graimes

Published 2021

About

The secret to this vibrant salad is the combination of texture, colour and flavour. The sweet caramelized pears are perfect with the salty sharpness of the blue cheese, the peppery freshness of the leaves and the crunch of the toasted pecans. You can, of course, vary the combination to suit, but do keep in mind the blend of salty, sweet, soft and crunch. The photograph shows edible nasturtium flowers, which look pretty and taste peppery, but aren’t essential.