Salad | Endive | Treviso | Date Vinaigrette | Ricotta Salata Recipe

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the dates in a small bowl and cover with boiling water, let soak for 15 minutes.

2. 2

   In the meantime, heat a small fry pan over medium heat, add the chopped walnuts and olive oil, toast for 5-8 minutes.  Add the honey, toss and cook for another 5 minutes, remove from the heat and set aside.

3. 3

   In the meantime, slice the core end off the treviso and the endive, remove the outer leaves, discard and start peeling off all the remaining inner leaves, cutting away the bottoms of the treviso and endive so that the leaves can fall away easily.

4. 4

   Remove the dates from the water, reserve this water, remove the pits (discard) and place the date flesh in a blender with 1-2 tbsp. date soaking liquid, the anchovies and the zest and juice of ½ a lemon.  Make a paste, and remove from the blender.

5. 5

   Add the red wine vinegar and oil to the blender and blend just to “clean out” the blender (it does not really need to blend).

6. 6

   Add the date paste to the bottom of a large mixing bowl, loosen up the paste by adding the liquid part of the dressing from the blender, you may not need all of it.

7. 7

   Add the treviso leaves and endive leaves to the bowl with the dressing, add the walnuts, toss.

8. 8

   Arrange the leaves on 1-4 plates, scattering the shaved ricotta salata throughout and on top.

9. 9

   Lightly spoon any remainder dressing over the treviso and endive and on the plate itself.  Sprinkle with a little flaked salt, plenty of freshly ground pepper and micro greens if using.