Radicchio, chestnut and pancetta salad
Sauté the pancetta in a heavy based pan, till very crispy.
When the pancetta is ready, remove the lardons with a slotted spoon and add the chestnuts to the same pan, allowing the chestnuts to absorb all the yummy juices from the pancetta. Keep on turning the chestnuts with a wooden spoon in the pan.
When slightly crispy, remove the chestnuts with a slotted spoon and drain them on absorbent paper.
To the same pan add the mustard and the lemon juice to taste.
Arrange the salad leaves on a platter. Scatter over the pancetta and the chestnuts.
Just before serving, pour the mustard and lemon juice from the pan over the salad.
Wine suggestions
Salad can be a tough match for wine, especially when there's vinegar in the dressing. The pan-roasted chestnuts could be interesting with a nicely nutty wooded chardonnay. If used sensitively, the lemon juice in the dressing would pick up the citrus notes one often finds in chardonnay. Jordan Chardonnay would be my selection from South Africa, but remember that it's the grape used to make white Burgundy.
Ingredients
- 250 g pancetta, rind removed,
- cut into 1 cm cubes
- 200 g whole chestnuts
- 150 g radicchio
- 200 g mixed salad leaves
- (endives, butter lettuce, rocket)
- 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- Lemon juice
