Quince, Radicchio & Ham Salad
A pickled quince is an enigmatic thing. On the one hand soft, sweet and blushing; on the other sharp, assertive, demanding. It has a delicate floral perfume yet brings a stern, acidic kick up the arse to any plate. You can never really pin it down. I make several batches of Nigel Slater’s pickled quince every Christmas (it keeps for several weeks) and use it in salads, with roast chicken (or turkey), or to serve with cold hams and cheese during that picky leftover eating time between Christmas and New Year. What I love about pickled quince is that it has the effect of making an otherwise fairly normal plate of food seem extravagantly exotic. It brings a bit of mystery, and, I think, a hint of Christmas decadence. “Oh this unusual fruit which we never hear of the rest of the year and which, now pickled, smells like the three wise men’s suitcase, yes, I’m just going to toss it with some leftover ham and call it lunch”. Straightforward, but lavishly classy. As here, in this five minute salad:
Pickled quince, radicchio and ham hock salad
Ingredients
- 1 pickled quince as per Nigel Slater’s recipe
- ½ small head radicchio
- 150g pulled ham hock
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp pickling juice
- 30g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Break the radicchio into leaves into a bowl. Drain a few wedges of quince, slice them and add them to the leaves. Scatter over the pulled ham hock and hazelnuts.
- In a jug. Combine the olive oil with the reserved pickling liquor and a pinch of salt. Give it a whisk then pour over the salad and toss gently. Done!
