Mid-December and I’ve been living on salads for the whole week now.  I know, not really seasonal…  But it’s probably due to the fact that there is still no snow around here. And also, my body knows very well that there are some difficult days ahead. In terms of holidays and food, of course. I guess, it decided on its own to have a mini detox.

This recipe I picked up a few years ago in some magazine while I was in Canada. Walnuts were obviously caramelised on maple syrup, if anyone’s for an upgrade. Also, a slice of smoked trout or smoked salmon would go nice with it. The trick is, of course, in the dressing. And roasted garlic.

Salad with pear, walnuts and yogurt dressing with roasted garlic

Ingredients (for 4 persons):

Mixed seasonal salad
2 pears (or apples)
2 handfuls of walnuts
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 tsp sweet paprika
2 tsp agave or maple syrup
½ teaspoon salt
200 ml of plain yogurt
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
5 cloves of roasted garlic (we need a whole garlic*)
juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper
sliced ​​smoked salmon or trout (optional)

* I recommend to do a bigger quantity of roasted garlic, because it doesn’t reallly make sense to heat the oven just for one. Roasted garlic can be used in salad dressings, on crostinis, as a condiment. Keep it in fridge.

Preparation:

1. Cut the whole garlic horizontally – all the garlic cloves should have the tops cut off. Place it on a piece of aluminum foil, pour over 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bent the edges of the aluminium sheet towards the inside. Place it on a baking sheet and bake at 150-160 ° C for about 45 minutes.
2. Heat the pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When hot enough, add the walnuts. Fry 1 minute, constantly stirring. Pour over the agave or maple syrup, then add the sweet paprika and salt.
3. Prepare the dressing: using a fork mash 5 cloves of roasted garlic, add yogurt, grated parmesan, juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper.
4. Cut the pears lengthwise and place on top of the salad. Pour over the yogurt dressing and sprinkle with roasted walnuts.
5. You can also add slices of smoked salmon or smoked trout, but that’s an option.

This recipe was made for Spar Slovenija and their magazine Dobro zame.