Chestnut and Pancetta Salad
by Nigella. Featured in HOW TO EATIntroduction
I've been making this salad in one guise or another since the 90s; indeed, the recipe is to be found in How To Eat, where the salad leaf I proposed was escarole. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find in the UK, but the salad works well with radicchio or any bitter, robust leaf; here I've simply opened and shaken out a couple of packets of bagged salad. Anything goes: this is such a simple arrangement, and a glorious combination of contrasts: between salt and sweet; crisp and almost fudgily dense.
In the old days, when I started making this, it was one of my favourite first courses. Now, I'm happy with it as a meal in its entirety; in which case it will easily — with some good bread on the side — feed 4. And you can easily halve it for quick supper or lunch for two, which I do often, and then eat it all myself very happily. Indeed, don't get too caught up with weights and measures: just think of balance — and your appetite!
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I've been making this salad in one guise or another since the 90s; indeed, the recipe is to be found in How To Eat, where the salad leaf I proposed was escarole. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find in the UK, but the salad works well with radicchio or any bitter, robust leaf; here I've simply opened and shaken out a couple of packets of bagged salad. Anything goes: this is such a simple arrangement, and a glorious combination of contrasts: between salt and sweet; crisp and almost fudgily dense.
In the old days, when I started making this, it was one of my favourite first courses. Now, I'm happy with it as a meal in its entirety; in which case it will easily — with some good bread on the side — feed 4. And you can easily halve it for quick supper or lunch for two, which I do often, and then eat it all myself very happily. Indeed, don't get too caught up with weights and measures: just think of balance — and your appetite!
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
(UK only)
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Ingredients
Serves: 4 as a lightish main course; 8 as a starter
- 400 grams mixed salad leaves
- 400 grams vacuum-packed chestnuts
- 225 grams slab pancetta (or lardons or cubetti di pancetta)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
- 14 ounces mixed salad leaves
- 14 ounces vacuum-packed chestnuts
- 8 ounces slab pancetta (or lardons or cubetti di pancetta)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
Method
- Cover two large serving dishes or 8 individual salad plates with the salad. Put the 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan and put it on the heat.
- Cut the rind off the pancetta and add that to the pan to render the fat; give it about four minutes.
- While that's going on, chop the pancetta into cubes or squat strips and then toss in the pan as well. In about four minutes these, too, should have given off a lot of their fat and have become dark golden in bits and crisp. If you are using ready cubed lardons, then you will obviously be dispensing with the rind-rendering fandango.
- Add the chestnuts and toss them in the hot fat with the pancetta. Don't worry about these breaking, as they inevitably will. I actually prefer it if the chestnuts are slightly rubbly, in two or three bits each.
- When these are warmed through, a matter of a minute or so, remove them and the pancetta with a spatula or slotted spoon to the lettuce-lined plates.
- Off the heat, stir the mustard and the remaining olive oil into the bacony fat. Mix well and and keep stirring and scraping as you add the sherry vinegar.
- Pour this over the salad, toss deftly and serve.
- Cover two large serving dishes or 8 individual salad plates with the salad. Put the 2 teaspoons of oil in a pan and put it on the heat.
- Cut the rind off the pancetta and add that to the pan to render the fat; give it about four minutes.
- While that's going on, chop the pancetta into cubes or squat strips and then toss in the pan as well. In about four minutes these, too, should have given off a lot of their fat and have become dark golden in bits and crisp. If you are using ready cubed lardons, then you will obviously be dispensing with the rind-rendering fandango.
- Add the chestnuts and toss them in the hot fat with the pancetta. Don't worry about these breaking, as they inevitably will. I actually prefer it if the chestnuts are slightly rubbly, in two or three bits each.
- When these are warmed through, a matter of a minute or so, remove them and the pancetta with a spatula or slotted spoon to the lettuce-lined plates.
- Off the heat, stir the mustard and the remaining olive oil into the bacony fat. Mix well and and keep stirring and scraping as you add the sherry vinegar.
- Pour this over the salad, toss deftly and serve.
Additional Information
For gluten free: most Dijon mustard is gluten free but check label on jar.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead or store.
For gluten free: most Dijon mustard is gluten free but check label on jar.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead or store.
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What 1 Other has said
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Posted by RobyH on 28th December 2017
Show more commentsMy family loves this salad! The flavours work beautifully together.