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Baby Greens with Pecans & Pears

A perfect balance of flavors and textures, this salad is sure to become a favorite first course to enjoy while supper cooks. Replace the pecans with Sweet Spiced Nuts (page 261) for a special touch.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

8 cups baby greens or torn romaine or leaf lettuce (about 8 ounces)
2 firm but ripe pears
Toasted Pecan Vinaigrette or Versatile Vinaigrette (page 222)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup toasted pecans

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Rinse and dry the salad greens. Cut the pears in half, core them, and cut into matchsticks or thin slices. Lightly coat the pears with a little dressing to prevent discoloration.

    Step 2

    In a large salad bowl, toss together the greens and pears. Sprinkle the top with cheese and pecans. Pass the vinaigrette at the table.

  2. Ingredient Notes

    Step 3

    You can purchase grated cheese, but Parmesan looks and tastes even better if you buy it in a chunk and use a coarse grater to shred it or a sharp vegetable peeler to make curls.

    Step 4

    This salad is also good with blue cheese or chèvre.

  3. Serving & menu ideas

    Step 5

    Perfect with Creamy Lemon Pasta (page 18) or Baked Stuffed Tomatoes (page 49).

Cover of the cookbook Moosewood Simple Suppers with a red floral motif.
From Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table. Copyright © 2017 by Moosewood Collective. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Buy the full book from ThriftBooks or Amazon.
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