Crunchy and Salted Endive Salad

Crunchy and Salted Endive Salad

I have a small confession to make. I am a lover of cheese. Not just any cheese but ripe, pongy cheese. In fact, the stinkier the better! An overripe Camembert may send people running but I will gladly lap it up with some crusty bread. Give me a strong Stinking Bishop, entice me with a vintage Scottish Cheddar and serve me a mature Stilton on oatcakes or crackers and you will see my grin of satisfaction. Yes, it’s clear, I share a strong passion for cheese like my buddy Wallace:

I had recently bought some endive/chicory bulbs and wanted to make a simple salad with them. Knowing that the leaves can be quite bitter, I wanted to marry it up with some strong salty components. The answer? Throw in some strips of smoked bacon, cubes of Roquefort cheese and garnish with some chopped walnuts for an additional crunchy dimension. This combination with a white wine vinegar dressing works a treat!

The shape of the endive leaves means that you can pick up a little leaf packed with tasty ingredients and serve yourself or you can be more refined and use cutlery

Here is what you will need to recreate the simple salad:

Ingredients for Crunchy and Salted Endive Salad

Print Crunchy and Salted Endive Salad

Prep Time: 7 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Serving Size: Serves 2 for Side Order, Serves 1 for Lunch

A intensely flavoured dish which makes for a simple lunch or side order.

Ingredients

• 2 endive bulbs
• 5 walnuts, chopped into quarters
• 40g of Roquefort cheese, cut into cubes
• 3 rashers of smoked bacon
• 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and Pepper if required

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the grill.
2. Cut ends of endive bulbs and discard any discoloured leaves. Wash and dry the leaves.
3. Grill the bacon on both sides. Leave it to the side to cool down.
4. In a bowl, mix together the white wine vinegar and the olive oil dressing.
5. Cut the grilled bacon rashers above the bowl so that any juice runs straight into the dressing but place the bacon pieces on a separate plate for dressing later.
6. Place the leaves in the bowl and toss them in the dressing.
7. Dress the leaves with the bacon pieces, the Roquefort cubes and the chopped walnuts.
8. Add salt and pepper only if required. There is a lot of salt coming from the cheese and bacon so I didn't need any extra for this recipe.

Notes

Roquefort cheese is quite acidic and so it pairs perfectly with white wine vinegar in the dressing.

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I leave you with a list of the Top 10 Stinky Cheeses in the World. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below