Angie's Recipes . Taste Of Home: Red Belgian Endive Salad with Anchovy Dressing

This crunchy and easy red Belgian endive salad with cantaloupe and baby spinach is made extra special by using umami-packed anchoy in the dressing! The delicately bitter and crispy bite of red Belgian endive leaves balances perfectly with the juicy sweetness of cantaloupe, while toasted walnuts add a satisfying, earthy crunch. It’s perfect for a starter or light lunch. Use radicchio or even white Belgian endives if you can’t find the red one.

Salad	Achovy Dressing
50 g Walnut halves, toasted 3-4 head Red Belgian endives 75 g Baby spinach ½ Cantaloupe, cut in small wedges	1 Garlic clove Sea salt 50 g Tin anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained 1 tbsp White balsamic vinegar 5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil Freshly milled black pepper

For the dressing, add the garlic to a mortar with a good pinch of salt, then crush to a fine paste using a pestle. Add the drained anchovies and grind down until the anchovies are a pulp. Add the white balsamic, mix, then slowly add the olive oil so the dressing is emulsified. Pour the dressing into a large salad bowl.
Add the walnuts to a dry frying pan and toast over a medium heat until fragrant and a deeper shade of brown, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool slightly.
Cut off the base of the Belgian endive, then separate the leaves and place into a bowl of cold water. Dry in a salad spinner or blot gently with kitchen paper. Submerge the baby spinach in a bowl of cold water, gently swish them to loosen dirt, and lift them out. Dry them thoroughly with a salad spinner.
Just before serving, add all the leaves to the salad bowl, along with the cantaloupe wedges and toasted walnuts, then gently toss together so everything is well-coated in the dressing. Season with salt and black pepper, if needed, and serve.