Seasons are changing and here in Italy fall is in the air. The mornings have that cool crisp feeling and we are starting our day a little later as even the sun wants to stay in bed longer. This slight change is bridging that gap between two seasons: the waning of Summer and the start of Autumn.
Oh, the days are still warm and sunny and late summer fruit is still abundant. We still see fresh lettuces and grapes at our farmers market, but now we are seeing pears and walnuts. And who doesn’t want to invite Gorgonzola to the party? He always gets along so well with grapes and pears.
This salad bridges this seasonal gap beautifully. We can enjoy the sweet warm taste of summer in the grapes and the warm cozy Autumn taste of walnuts and pears. This brief moment when summer is still here but fall is approaching. This is the essence of Italian cooking, to enjoy the moment and the produce that is currently perfect. Lets not rush into Fall while Summer is still here, but lets also not be afraid to say “good-bye”, for summer will come again next year.
Pear Gorgonzola Salad with Grapes and Walnuts
Ingredients:
Lettuce (baby greens, butter lettuce or any other “sweet” greens
Radicchio (red type of lettuce)
1 pear, sliced
1/2 cup of grapes, sliced in half
1/4 cup of roughly chopped walnuts
1 ounce Gorgonzola, chopped or broken
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon good quality aged Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions:
Place lettuce in a salad bowl or arrange on a plate, add sliced pear, grapes, gorgonzola and walnuts.
Mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil together and pour on top.
Serve and enjoy the last tastes of summer and start of fall.
You may want to try one of our other dinner recipes from our Archives:
Babaganush (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant Dip) Published July 29, 2017
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce (Published August 18, 2017)
Saltimbocca (Roman Style Veal Scallopini) (Published February 18, 2018)
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad (Bun Bo Xoa) Published March 12, 2018)
Spiced Chickpea Salad with Roasted Cauliflower (Published April 22, 2018)
Steamed Mussels and Fettuccine (Cozze e Fettuccine) Published May 4, 2019)
Shrimp Risotto (Risotto alla Gamberi) Published June 2, 2018)
Pasta Carbonara (Published May 12, 2018)
Arancini (Italian Fried Rice Balls) Published June 4, 2018)
Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan Style Veal Shanks & Saffron Risotto) Published June 20, 2018)
Lasagna Bolognese (Published Aug 3, 2018)
Kung Pao Chicken (Published August 23, 2018)
Eggplant Parmesan (Published August 29, 2018)
Gyoza (Potstickers or Chinese Dumplings) Published August 27,2018)
Cacio e Pepe (Published August 28, 2018)
Southern Fried Chicken (published September 11, 2018)
Shrimp Tacos (Published September 19, 2018)
Pesto Genovese (published September 21, 2018
Desserts:
Cherry Pie (published May 20, 2017)
Homemade Berry Pie (published July 23, 2017)
Almond Roca (published February 22, 2018)
Homemade Banana Cream Pie (published May 10, 2018)
Cannoli (published August 3, 2017)
Easy Authentic Tiramasu (published May 3, 2018)
Ooey Gooey Blonde Brownies (published August 11, 2018)
Old Fashioned Peach Crisp (published August 1, 2018
Classic Canned Peaches (published August 8, 2018)
Noyaux (Almond Extract made from stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017
Cherry Cheesecake Ice Cream (Published May 25, 2017
Breakfast:
Whole Wheat Waffles (published August 12, 2017)
Dutch Babies (published May 30, 2018)
Side DIshes:
Festive Pineapple Sesame Coleslaw (published September 14, 2018)
Italian Roasted Vegetable Platter (published September 13, 2018)
Canning and Preserving:
Noyaux (French bitter almond extract from stone fruit) (Published Aug 7, 2017)
Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 6, 2017)
Canned Peaches (Published August 23, 2018)
Ricotta from Powdered Milk (Published Aug 5, 2017)
Candied Orange Peel (Published September 12, 2018)
Articles from living in Italy and California:
A Morning Run in Nettuno (Published September 10, 2017)
A Visit to Castelli Romani (Published September 13, 2017)
Dinner for Six (Published October 1, 2017)
Italian Cooking School (Published October 8, 2017)
Culinary Tour of Napoli (Published November 17, 2017)
Changing Seasons in Italy (Published November 25, 2017)
Our Trip to Englands Cotswolds (Published January 12, 2018)
Cooking with Pasquale (Published January 28, 2018)
A Tour of the Garden of Ninfa (Published May 7, 2018)
A Trip to Montefiascone (Published May 17, 2018)
San Gimignano, a visit to a Tuscan Hill Town (Published June 9, 2018)
Tuscan Hot Springs of San Filippo & Saturnia (Published June 13, 2018)
Articles about Tiny House “Homesteading” in California:
The Beginning of a Blog (Published May 18, 2017)
The Cherry Tree (Published May 20, 2017)
How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans (Published May 22, 2017)
Successful Square Foot Gardening (Published May 23, 2017)
Yosemite (Published June 7, 2017)
My Tiny House (Published June 15, 2017)
Making Noyaux (French Bitter Almond Extract from Stone fruit pits) Published August 7, 2017)
Sweet & Spicy Pickles (Published July 21, 2017
Classic Canned Peaches (Published August 6, 2018)
Ricotta from Powdered Milk (Published Aug 5, 2017)
