Apple and chicory salad

This salad, packed with fibre and healthy fats, is all about balance: bitter chicory, sweet-tart apple, rich walnuts, and salty parmesan—all tied together with a bright lemon-Dijon dressing. It’s light, crunchy, and effortless. Perfect on its own or as a side dish.

• Serves two

  10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 heads of chicory (a mix of red and white if you can get it)

• 1 Granny Smith apple, finely sliced

• A small handful of walnuts, roughly chopped

• A small chunk of parmesan, for grating

  For the dressing:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Juice of ½ a lemon

• ¾ teaspoon honey (adjust to taste)

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Step 1

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, taste, and adjust the seasoning to your liking. You can tweak the honey and mustard to taste—sweeter or tangier, depending on your mood. The amounts above create a nice balance.

Step 2

Trim the root ends off your chicory, separate the leaves, and give them a rinse. Slice the apple finely using a mandoline or knife, then halve the slices to create half-moons. Then roughly chop the walnuts and finely grate the parmesan.

Step 3

Tumble the chicory leaves onto a serving plate or shallow bowl, then nestle in the apple slices for a good balance of colour and crunch. Scatter over the chopped walnuts and a generous amount of grated parmesan, then drizzle with the dressing just before serving.