Grilled chicory salad
Despite the fact that chicory has a lot of vitamins and nutritional value, somehow it is not a frequent guest in my kitchen. I don’t usually buy it with a specific purpose in mind – I just buy and I only decide at home what to make from it. My favourite chicory dishes are undoubtedly salads and casseroles, most often I make those, I have not tried any other dish with it.
When it comes to salads, I add either raw or baked chicory, depending on what I combine it with. Chicory goes well with cheese, walnuts and fruit such as apple or pear. Due to the bitter taste that is characteristic for this vegetable, it is worth combining it with sweet sauces with some honey or maple syrup. A slightly sweet sauce breaks down and significantly softens the bitter taste of the chicory.
The salad I would like to encourage you to try, is a salad with grilled chicory. This salad also includes almonds, blue cheese and sweet pear. It is seasoned with a light olive and honey dressing. If you want to make a healthy dinner or a delicious lunch, the following recipe for grilled chicory salad will be just perfect for that.
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Ingredients for chicory salad.
- 2 big chicory heads
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- a pinch of salt
- 200 g pears (around 2 pears)
- 150 g Stilton cheese
- 50 g almonds
Honey dressing:
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
How to make grilled chicory salad.
Cut the chicory lengthwise into four parts, cut deeply but in such a way that the leaves remain stuck together.
Combine salt, honey and olive oil in a cup, then rub each piece of chicory thoroughly with the mixture.
Place a grilling pan on a heat, warm it up and when hot, arrange the chicory in it. Grill on both sides for about 3-4 minutes, then transfer the chicory on a plate and let it cool down.
Peel the pear and cut into quarters. Cut the blue cheese into medium-sized cubes.
Honey dressing: mix olive oil and honey in a cup.
Arrange the chicory, pear and blue cheese on a serving plate. Sprinkle it with almonds and pour the dressing over it.
Good to know when making grilled chicory salad.
If you have some liquid left after grilling the chicory, combine it with honey and olive oil. This way you get more dressing to pour over the salad.
I do not season this salad with salt, I only use salt for the marinade I cover the chicory with. If you want, you can sprinkle the finished salad with a little salt, but in my opinion it is not necessary.
The almonds can be roasted before adding them to the salad. Just put them on a frying pan and roast on a very low heat for about 5 minutes.
Do you like salads with Stilton cheese? If so, try our recipe for Waldorf salad.
