Pear & Manchego salad with jamon-wrapped breadsticks

Ingredients

• 2 firm beurre bosc pears
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil
• 2 tbs honey
• 2 tbs of blood orange juice*<
• 2 tbs sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 8 slices of jamon**
• 8 breadsticks (grissini)
• 100g baby salad leaves (mesclun)
• 2 tbs roasted chopped walnuts
• 40g Manchego cheese***, shaved

* If blood oranges aren’t available, use regular oranges.

** Dried and salt-cured ham. Substitute jamon with serrano ro prosciutto.

*** A hard cheese, originally made with the milk sheep from La Mancha. Available from Spanish and selected delis, and specialist cheese shops.

Method

Cut the pears lengthways into 1cm thick slices, leaving stalks intact. Rub pear with the cut side of half the lemon. Heat 1 tbs oil in a frypan over medium-high heat.

Add pear and cook for 1-2 minutes each side or until light golden. Add honey and the juice of the remianing 1/2 lemon, sirling the pan to warm the honey mixture and coat the pear.

Whisk remaining 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil, orange juice and vinegar in a small bowl. Season.Wrap a slice of jamon around each breadstick. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pear slices to a bowl, reserving cooking juices.

Add cooking juices to the dressign and whisk to combine, then toss with the pear and baby salad leaves. Scatter with walnuts and manchego, and serve with jamon-wrapped breadsticks.

This recipe is an extract from delicious. Love to Eat by Valli Little.