Blue cheese and rocket salad with sourdough croutons and seasonal nectarine dressing

Blue Cheese and Rocket Salad with Sourdough Croutons and Seasonal Nectarine Dressing

Serves four people as a side or two as a main.

Ingredients:

For the nectarine dressing:

1 ripe nectarine, peeled, stoned and roughly chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp coarse mustard (I use Maille wholegrain mustard)
1 tsp honey

For the salad:

100g sourdough bread, cut into bite-sized chunks (I used sourdough with hazelnuts from Manor grocery store)
2 tbsp olive oil
100g wild rocket leaves
3 ripe nectarines, halved, stoned and sliced (I used 2 large ones and it was plentiful)
120g Stilton or other strong blue cheese, crumbled

Topping (optional):

2 tbsp of chopped lightly salted pistachios

Preparation:

• To make the dressing, pulse all the ingredients together in a blender or mini-food processor with a tablespoon of water, seasoning with a little salt and pepper to taste.
• Use the dressing straightaway or cover and chill it for up to 2 days.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.
• Toss the sourdough bread with oil and toast for about 8-10 minutes, turning halfway until golden and crisp at the edges.
• The original recipe recommends that a few minutes before assembling you spoon 1/3 of the dressing over the toasted bread and mix, and then toss another 1/3 of the dressing with the rocket, nectarines, blue cheese and sourdough chunks. Then add the remaining dressing to taste. In hot weather though, I prefer to add the dressing to the mixed ingredients at the table and to taste. This avoids that the leaves become sodden and the mixture too gloopy.
• Scatter with the pistachio nuts.
• Enjoy!