With pears in season until February, I like to find a lot of different ways to enjoy them. Today I’ve sliced and tossed them into a pear, lentil, and chickpea salad – but what I enjoy most about this recipe is the white wine pear dressing! A combination of wine, shallot, pears, and pure maple. It’s so bright and robust and it makes plenty to keep and enjoy over the next few days, too.
This dish will nourish and satisfy you during these still uncertain times, chock full of nutrient-packed chickpeas, lentils, hearty greens, and sliced ripe winter pears.
As an aside, I created the white wine pear dressing for a client who is on an oil-free regimen. I swapped out the extra virgin olive oil that I would typically use in a vinaigrette, for pure maple syrup. Truth be told, I didn’t miss it! Like extra virgin olive oil, maple helps to emulsify the mixture; and in combination with the sherry vinegar and Dijon, the earthiness of the maple is a nice accompaniment. Note however, that you can certainly use extra virgin olive oil, if you so choose.
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Ingredients
For the White Wine Pear Dressing: (note that this dressing serves 10, makes enough to keep on hand)
- 2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 small shallot, roughly chopped
- 3 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil)
For the Salad:
- 1 ½ cups cooked, rinsed, and drained chickpeas
- 3/4 cups cooked, rinsed, and drained sprouted lentils
- 1 pear, ripe and thinly sliced
- 3-4 handfuls baby greens of choice
- Dried cranberries, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing in a high speed blender and blend all of the dressing ingredients together (except for the extra virgin olive oil, if using) until well combined. If using oil, blend the ingredients together, then slowly stream in the oil with the blender running slowly, taste and adjust the seasonings. Set aside.
- Combine all of the salad ingredients together, reserving a handful of dried cranberries for garnish, and drizzle about 4 tablespoons of the dressing over the salad. Gently toss to combine and to evenly distribute the dressing. Bring the extra dressing to the table and refrigerate any leftover in an airtight jar for use over the next few days.
Notes
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