When I first met Castelfranco, I was smitten. With its striking good looks, this rare find can stop you in your tracks. Slightly mesmerising, it’s like catching a glimpse of a film star in a hotel foyer when you least expect it.

If you can’t find Castelfranco, you can use a French butterhead lettuce or Batavia lettuce in its place which have equally good looks in the lettuce department. If you can’t find watermelon radish, slices of French radish would work instead.

To be fair, this creamy salad dressing is delicious on any green salad. Try it on a simple spinach and cucumber salad or throw in a few room temperature strawberries.  Any left-over dressing can be used as a dip or swirled into a cherry soup in place of sour cream.

This recipe is for 2 people.

PINK PEPPERCORN DRESSING

INGREDIENTS
70g (½ cup) cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
125g (½ cup) filtered water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
pinch fine grain sea salt
2 tablespoons dehydrated red onion (or 1 tablespoon of fresh red onion, minced)
2 tablespoons pink peppercorns

METHOD

Cover the cashews with enough water to cover with an inch over and soak the CASHEWS FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS AND UP TO 24 HOURS, changing the water every few hours. Rinse and drain.

Add the soaked cashews to a blender with 125g (½ cup fresh water), rice vinegar, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and sea salt. Blend until it forms a smooth cream. Turn the cream into a bowl. In a pestle and mortar, crush the dried onions with the pink peppercorns and stir into the cream. Se aside until needed.

CASTELFRANCO NECTARINE SALAD

INGREDIENTS
1 head Castelfranco radicchio or Butterhead lettuce
a handful of basil and mint leaves
2 ripe nectarines, pitted and cut into segments
10 seedless grapes, halved
2 or 3 slices of watermelon radish, cut into little wedges
2 or 3 slices of red onion
¼ cucumber, diced
1 tablespoon freeze dried raspberries

METHOD

Remove the base of the stalk of the radicchio/lettuce. Gently tear the leaves into bite size pieces. Finely slice the basil and mint leaves.

Place some of the pink peppercorn dressing in the base of each bowl. Add the freeze-dried raspberries on top.

Layer the leaves over the base of the bowl. Chiffonade the basil and mint leaves. Layer in the remaining ingredients with the basil and mint and drizzle the salad with the remaining dressing.