25 Days of Recipes

Ok, it's that time. Time to wrap our brains around the holiday and start planning for the season. This is my favorite time of year. I love the lights, the spirit and I even enjoy grabbing the decorations from the attic as my mom says her famous quote of "this is the last year for decorations". Mom has been saying that since we lived on Maverick St, so we typically ignore her and go about our day.

I am sure we are all getting in the spirit. Maybe we are planning a holiday meal or holiday party. I love planning a great Christmas menu, filled with family favorites and sometimes new ideas. This year for our 25 days of recipes, I thought we could kick things off with a crisp and satisfying salad. This salad is perfect for any table and could also be served as an entree with the addition of braised pork or roasted chicken. It uses one of my favorite greens, chicory.

Chicory is a very hearty, leafy green. It is easy to identify by it's curly leaves. I like chicory because it holds up well to heavy dressing and never loses its bite. I loved when my grandmother would make chicory salad with red wine vinegar and oil, perfect. Hopefully, you too will find the joy in trying out this curly green. Here is my recipe for Roasted French Butter Pear and Bread Salad......

Serves 6

1 head of Chicory washed, dried and torn into bite size pieces
3 French Butter Pears peeled, cored and quarted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup Gorgonzola cheese, cubed
1/4 cup pecans
1 cup stale bread, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet toss the pears and the cubed bread with the brown sugar, salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast about fifteen minutes, until the bread is toasted and the pears are golden. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all the ingredients being careful not to break the Gorgonzola. Dress the salad with my pancetta dressing (recipe below). Enjoy!

Pancetta Honey Dressing
6 slices of pancetta
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet, place the pancetta and cover with a piece of parchment paper, this will keep it from burning. Bake the pancetta until crisp about 12 minutes. Take out of the oven and cool. In a heavy bottomed bowl, whisk the mustard, agave nectar, lemon juice and vinegar until combined. Slowly, drizzle in the oil while whisking to emulsify the ingredients. Add the pancetta oil from the baking pan and crumble the pancetta into the dressing. Season with a little salt and pepper. Enjoy!