Pere e Vino
SERVES 4
3 cups bold red wine, like Chianti or Cabernet
½ cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
4 pears, peeled (Bartlett, Bosc, or any other hard-to-the-touch pear)
3 cups mixed salad greens
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 recipe Candied Walnuts (for the recipe, see the note on here)
Shaved Parmesan cheese, for serving
Combine the wine with the honey and cinnamon in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the pears and cook them for about 15 minutes. Remove the pears from the pan, set aside to cool, and either discard the liquid or reserve it for future use (you can reduce it and use it as a glaze, for salad dressing, or drizzle it on ice cream or fruit). When the pears have cooled, cut them in half, take out the seeds, and slice them into thin strips.
Combine the mixed greens with the extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then mix in the pears and as many of the walnuts as you want. Top with shaved Parmesan.
Funghi e Pomodori
SERVES 4
3 cups arugula
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 cup sundried tomatoes, cut into strips (see recipe on here)
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced very thin with a mandoline
Salt and pepper
10 basil leaves
Flesh of ½ cantaloupe, scooped out with a melon baller
Toss everything in a large bowl and serve family style!