Ensalada de Hinojo y Peras
Fennel, Manchego cheese, Asian pear, walnuts, basil, citrus dressing
Simple salad made with thin sliced fennel and mix with aged manchego cheese, Asian pears, basil, crunchy walnuts and citrus dressing.
Manchego (officially Spanish: queso manchego, pronounced [ˈkeso maɲˈtʃeɣo]) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the manchega breed. Official manchego cheese is to be aged for between 60 days and two years.
Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, and often contains small, unevenly distributed air pockets. The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish-beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well-developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep's milk.4. The designation queso manchego is protected under Spain's Denominación de Origen
- 4.5 oz Fennel
- 1 oz Manchego Cheese
- 3 oz Asian Pear
- 0.5 oz Walnut
- 4 tbsp of Citrus Dressing
- 8 each medium size Basil leaves
- a few fennel fronds
- Salt to Taste
Before service:
- Slice fennel in mandolin thin but with some texture.
- Put Fennel in ice water and dry in salad spinner
- Break Manchego cheese in chunky pieces (use the robot coupe, making medium size pieces)
- Fry walnuts until caramelized. remove, put salt and drain with paper towels
- Make citrus dressing.
Final presentation:
- Cut pear in quarters. remove the seeds and slice in mandolin in slices 1/8 thick.
- In a bowl mix fennel, walnuts, manchego cheese, citrus dressing and pear.
- Add salt to taste and mix well, add basil leaves and mix one more time carefully.
- Plate as pictured putting on top a couple more basil leaves and some fennel fronds