Insalata bianca with cobnut dressing

Serves 4

2 heads of chicory, cut into halves, with the hearts picked away
1 head of fennel, shaved
150g Pecorino (Sardo preferable), sliced
2 pears, quartered, deseeded, skinned and thinly sliced
20g dandelion leaves available from good retailers or online
20g celery leaves (ensure they are fresh)

For the dressing

250ml olive oil
150ml vegetable oil
100ml white wine vinegar
½ clove garlic, thinly sliced
½ lemon, juiced
Few sprigs of tarragon
100g cobnuts, ½ crushed, ½ whole

To make the dressing

Place all the cobnuts on a tray and cook in a preheated oven at 180C for 5 minutes. Crack the husk and remove the nuts – this will come easily. Take half the nuts and crush. Set aside the remaining half of the cobnuts and set aside until later.

Place the garlic, tarragon and lemon juice in a bowl and mix together. Then add the two oils and and combine the two until at the desired consistency. Finally add the crushed nuts.

To make the salad

Prepare all the vegetables. Place the shaved fennel in a bowl of ice water (for approximately 5 mins). This will give it a fresh, crisp texture.

Place the chicory, fennel, celery and dandelion leaves in a bowl and add three quarters of the dressing mixture. Mix together and fold gently.

To serve

Arrange the salad on your plates and top with the sliced pecorino and pears. Dress with the remaning dressing and top finish with the whole roasted nuts.