members recipes

Savour the fantastic flavours of this wonderful main course salad. Serves 4.

Ingredients
4 firm pears, peeled
600ml (1 pt) red wine
25g (1oz) caster sugar
1 bunch watercress
Handful of baby spinach
1 head chicory, broken into separate leaves
450g (1lb) rump steak
4 tbsp olive oil
175g (6oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
•Put the whole pears into a saucepan with the wine and sugar. Heat and simmer gently without a lid, turning the pears from time to time, until they are tender. Carefully lift the pears from the reduced liquid and leave them to cool

•Share the watercress, spinach and chicory between four serving plates or bowls

•Preheat a char-grill pan or heavy-based frying pan. Brush the rump steak with one tablespoon olive oil, then char-grill or fry it over a high heat for two or three minutes on each side. Remove from the pan, cover with foil and leave to rest for five minutes

•Cut the pears into quarters, removing the core. Arrange one pear on each salad. Slice the beef with a sharp knife, then share between the portions. Add the shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the salads along with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Serve, sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper

Cook’s tip: If possible, use a cheese slicer to produce the shavings.