Hurrah…it’s pear season. I think pears are fairly underrated, partly because they sit rock hard in fruit bowls and no one knows if and when they will ripen, and when they do ripen they start to become over ripe really quickly. Well now here’s an answer, so they don’t go to waste, I use them raw while they are still hard in salads or I roast them with vanilla, spices and honey and serve them as a dessert.
Most people opt for apples over pears but I kind of prefer pears. Like my pear salad, I sometimes like to use them as I would a vegetable and pay homage to the humble pear.
You can use soft or hard pears for this salad, either will do. Apart from tasting delicious, it also looks beautiful with the colour of the red cabbage.

Recipe

Serves 2.

Ingredients:
1 firm pear cored and sliced into small frite sized sticks (I leave the skin on) the harder the pear the smaller the pieces should be
A sprig of parsley finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons of maple syrup
¼ teaspoon of English mustard
1 lime, zest and juice
1 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup of sour cream (or coconut yogurt or dairy free yogurt)
½ a small red onion finely sliced
1 cup of finely shredded red cabbage

How:
In a largish bowl, whisk the sour cream with the mustard, the maple syrup, the olive oil, and the lime juice with the lime zest. Then season with the salt and pepper.
Add the prepared pear, the cabbage and the red onion and coat gently in the creamy dressing.
Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Lastly… I love this on toasted sour dough bread buttered with humus, or you can serve it with roast chicken, roast lamb, with cheese or with whatever you fancy.