Recipe adapted from “Vegetables From an Italian Garden,” (Phaidon). Serves 8 as a side, or 4 as a main dish.
Ingredients
About 8 cups mixed salad leaves, such as green lettuce, frisee, radicchio and chicory
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed
1 pound porcini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
7 ounces brie cheese, diced
Salt and pepper
Basil leaves, for garnish
Directions
Separate all the salad leaves, put them into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Shortly before serving, take the salad leaves out of the refrigerator and transfer to a salad bowl. Heat half the oil in a frying pan with the garlic clove and cook until the garlic is lightly browned, then remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Add the mushrooms and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the pine nuts and cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and tip the contents of the frying pan over the salad. Pour the remaining oil into the same frying pan, add the raspberry vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Heat quicly, taste and add a little more raspberry vinegar if necessary, then drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle with the diced cheese, garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately.
