12 Dec A crunchy, citrusy salad with bean sprouts, pears and walnuts

I know – at this time of year you probably all want to eat warm, comfort food and here I am giving you salad. It’s strange, yet this is what I’m craving at the moment – all kinds of salads. My friend David has written this brilliant book on salads incidentally, if you love them like yours truly or are in search of last minute Xmas presents for your loved ones…

Perhaps it’s my childhood in Poland that has rendered my vision of Christmas as full of fish, vegetables, pierogi, Russian salad… so while I appreciate the English festivities and watch with pleasure as our favourite TV chefs show us what they’ll be eating this Christmas (for Jamie Oliver it will be Massaman curry on Boxing Day in case you were wondering), there is, sadly perhaps, no nostalgia in Christmas jumpers, turkeys and crackers, pour moi. I’m just not in that club, even if sometimes I like to pretend I am.

This salad was in no small way inspired by the classic Waldorf salad, though with the use of bean sprouts we have massively upped the nutrition here. I have also gone very easy on mayo, making the dressing lighter, more citrus-zingy and adding an Asian feel to it with the sesame flavours. The blue cheese has been replaced with fresh, tangy sheeps’ milk cheese and the apple with a sweet, crunchy pear.

Ingredients

Mixed bean sprouts
Celery sticks, chopped finely
Fresh sheeps’ milk cheese (or goat’s milk cheese)
Crushed walnuts
Pear, chopped into small cubes
Sesame seeds

Dressing

2 tablespoons olive oil
Dash of toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon English mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper to taste