Salad of Bibb lettuce, radicchio, endive and pecorino with cheese toasts
I found this salad recipe from PBS television star Lidia Bastianich's newsletter. Bastianich, a restaurateur and cookbook author, pairs a salad of radicchio, endive, apple and pecorino cheese with skillet-toasted cheese toasts. I've modified her recipe to add Bibb lettuce to the mix and reduce the amount of radicchio and endive. Instead of Granny Smith apples, I use unpeeled Fuji apples. She uses walnuts in her salad. Me? Pistachios, of course. Often, I grate a little extra Fontina and add that to the salad. And a warning: The cheese toasts are so scrumptious, they are very hard to resist. And they pair deliciously with the salad. A must-have.
Yield: 4large servings
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup finely grated Fontina cheese
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese or pecorino Romano cheese
11/2 tablespoons finely chopped, roasted and salted pistachios
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing skillet
4long slices country bread, such as La Brea Tuscan, about 4 by 6 inches
Freshly ground black pepper
Dressing: 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
1small head of Bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces 1/2 medium head radicchio, torn or cut into bite-size pieces
2heads Belgian endive, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2Fuji apples, unpeeled, cored, cut into thick matchsticks, about 1/2-inch wide and 21/2 inches long
1/2 cup roasted and lightly salted shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh chives
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare cheese toast: Heat a large, nonstick skillet on medium-low heat. Place Fontina, pecorino and 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios in small bowl; toss with your fingers. Brush preheated skillet lightly with olive oil. Add bread slices in single layer and let them sit until toasted and golden on the underside, 2-3 minutes. Flip and toast the other side, 2-3minutes. Season with pepper and sprinkle on cheese mixture. Let it melt for a minute; then gently flip. Press with a spatula to weigh bread down and compress it slightly. Cook until cheese is crisp and toasted and no longer sticks to the bottom of the pan, 1-2minutes. Set aside.
2. For the salad: Whisk the vinegar and oil in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add Bibb lettuce, radicchio, endive, apples and pistachios. Sprinkle with grated pecorino, parsley and chives; toss. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve with cheese toast.