Pear Salad... and I'm back... I think...

I've been absent from my and your blogs for so long that I honestly don't know where to start from. Basicly, food was not my main interest this past month and a half. To say the truth, even thinking about food made me a bit sick.
Things are much better now. I'm starting going back to my usual eating routine, food craving is back and you can expect some delicious things soon.
You may be surprised to see me suggesting a salad in the middle of the winter, but I think it's a reson more to reach for more colourful vegetables and break the monotony of winter food.
The other reason is that my oven has been out of use for the past ten days. So alternating boiled and fresh vegetables is kind of obligatory.
The salad, however, was so delicious that I can't resist recommending you try it. Pears and cheese... everyone knows how well they fit together, combined with lettuce, carrots and pumpkin seeds I found them just delicious. In some other period of the year, I would have enjoyed it alone. But it's winter, there's snow everywhere, it's extremely cold and a little more energy is just necessary.
Lately, I find myself craving all the food my mother used to cook for me. And chicken livers alla Veneziana (simply sauteed with lots of onion) is one of these. My iron level is a little low at the moment, so it was another reason why I just felt this dish would come in handy, besides from being really quick to prepare.
Have a nice weekend everyone!

Ligurian Way Pear Salad

(4 servings):
* 1 organic lemon
* 60 g small black olives (Ligurian Taggiasca olives preferably)
* a small bunch of parsley
* 2 Williams pears
* 2 medium size carrots
* 80 g pecorino cheese (preferably Ligurina pecorino di Malga)
* 2 TBspoons pumpkin seeds
* about 150 g lettuce
* extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper

Carefully wash and dry the lemon. Finely grate about 1 teaspon of zest, put it in a small container, add the finely chopped olives and parsley. Add 3 TBspoons EVOO, mix well and let sit covered so that the oil is more aromatic.
Squeeze the juice out of the lemon. Cut the pears in half, remove the core and then slice them lengthwise into thin slices.
Season the pears with lots of lemon juice (so they don't get dark), salt and freshly ground pepper. Set them aside.
Dry toast the pumpkin seeds for a couple minutes, on low heat, stirring them so they don't burn. Set them aside to cool.
Peel the carrots and julienne them or cut into very thin slices. Season them simply with a little salt.
Wash and dry the lettuce. Season it with the aromatic oil (with lemon zest and olives). Mix well and divide between 4 individual salad bowls.
Place the carrots in the middle of each bowl, then shaved pecorino cheese, pear slices and the the pumpkin seeds on top.
Season with a swirl of oil and more lemon juice if you like.
Serve immediately.

Insalata di pere alla ligure


(per 4 persone) :
* 1 limone biologico
* 60 g di olive nere Taggiasca
* 1 mazzetto di prezzemolo
* 2 pere Williams
* 2 carote medie
* 80 g di pecorino ligure di malga
* 2 cucchiai di semi di zucca
* circa 150 g di lattughino
* olio extra vergine ligure, sale e pepe


Lavate e asciugate il limone, grattugiate 1 cucchiaino scarso della buccia e mettetelo in una ciotola. Aggiungete le olive snocciolate e tritate insieme al prezzemolo lavate e asciugate. Unite 3 cucchiai di olio EVO, mescolate e lasciate aromatizzare l'olio coperto.
Spremete il succo di limone. Sbucciate le pere, tagliatele a metà eliminando i semi e poi tagliatele a fettine nel senso di lunghezza. Conditele subito con il succo di limone, sale e pepe macinato al momento.
Pulite le carote e tagliatele a julienne o a sottili striscioline.
Riducete il pecorino in sottili scaglie. Tostate delicatamente i semi di zucca in una padellina per un paio di minuti, senza aggiungere l'olio, mescolandoli in continuazione. Lasciateli raffreddare.
Lavate la lattuga e asciugatela bene. Conditela con l'olio aromatizzato al limone e alle olive. Mescolatela e distribuitela in 4 piatti o fondine. 
Mettete le carote condite semplicemente con un po' di sale al centro. Sopra le carote mettete il pecorino, poi le pere e infine cospargete con i semi di zucca e un filo d'olio. 
Servitela subito.

Salata se zove "na ligurijski način" jer u originalnom receptu ide masline Taggiasca (vrsta ligurijskih maslina) kao i maslinovo ulje od njih. Također sir koji se predlaže je ligurijski pecorino (pecorino di malga). Naravno, u nedostatku originalnih ligurijskih sastojaka, obične sitne crne masline i neki drugi sir po vašem izboru bit će dobra zamjena. U svakom slučaju, kruške i sir predivna su kombinacija.


Salata s kruškama na ligurijski način


(za 4 osobe):
* 1 neprskani limun
* 60 g sitnih crnih maslina
* svežnjić peršina
* 2 kruške (Viljamovke)
* 2 srednje velike mrkve
* 80 g ovčjeg sira (pecorino)
* 2 žlice očišćenih bučinih sjemenki
* oko 150 g zelene salate
* maslinovo ulje, sol i papar


Operite limun pa naribajte otprilike 1 žličicu korice.
Stavite naribanu koricu u zdjelicu, dodajte sitno nasjeckane masline, kao i sitno nasjeckan peršinov list.
Dodajte 3 žlice maslinovog ulja, promiješajte i ostavite pokriveno da se ulje aromatizira.
Ogulite kruške, prerežite ih na pola pa izdubite sredinu sa sjemenkama.
Narežite ih uzdužno na tanke kriške, polijte ih obilno sokom od limuna da ne pocrne i začinite s malo soli i svježe mljevenog papra.
Očistite mrkve i narežite ih na julienne (na tanke prutiće) ili na tanke listiće nožićem za guljenje.
Sir narežite ili naribajte na listiće.
Sjemenke buče popržite na tihoj vatri, par minuta u suhoj tavi, miješajući ih neprekidno.
Zelenu salatu operite i dobro posušite. Začinite je aromatičnim uljem s limunom i maslinama i rasporedite u tanjure ili zdjelice za salatu.
Preko salate stavite mrkvu, samo malo posoljenu.
Preko mrkve stavite listiće sira, a zatim kruške i na kraju pospite sve sjemenkama i s još malo maslinovog ulja.
Poslužite odmah.
Ja sam još sve dodatna začinila limunovim sokom.