I love a good fresh salad any time of year. But in that bleak period of deep winter before the first edible greens spring out of the ground—that’s when I seem to crave salad the most. With the garden and local farmers both on temporary hiatus, it can be a bit of a challenge to fulfill those leafy cravings. Fortunately there are food stuffs other than lettuce available in this season to craft a dish more than capable of satisfying any verdant desires. Here is my guide for thinking outside the salad box.
Most seasons I begin composing a salad by walking into the garden—or around the farmers’ market—and look for my inspiration there. At this time of year my garden—and more specifically the cold frame—only has a little Swiss chard, arugula, and some ragged Castelfranco radicchio to choose from, so I augment with sturdy winter greens from the grocery store.
Bittersweet greens are at their peak during the cooler season: chicories such as escarole, endive and frisee, and the more exotic radicchios like the brilliant torpedo-shaped Treviso. The kales and cabbages are always sweeter in cool weather, and the peppery heat of arugula is tamed.
But you don’t have to rely solely on greens to make a great salad. In fact, the departure from a salad of just leaves is where things really begin to become interesting. I love to add texture and flavor with crisp fruits like apple and pear, thinly sliced red onion or celery, or the sweet crunch of sunchokes, radishes, and fennel. Nuts, mushrooms, and beans are also useful and add a savory protein element. They’re perfect for those striving for a plant-centric diet.
Making proteins an accent rather than the center of the plate is also a great technique to incorporate meat or fish without an excess of unwanted calories or unhealthy fats. I like to use big flakes of tuna preserved in oil or smoked fish like salmon or mackerel. Shreds of leftover roast chicken are also nice, especially if you have some of the roasting juices leftover to add to the dressing—which brings us to vinaigrettes.
I like to keep mine simple. Most often I use a tasty extra-virgin olive oil and either fresh lemon juice or good wine vinegar. Note that vinegars come in many varieties, from acidic and insipid, to fruity and mellow, or even luxuriant and intriguing (see In the Pantry for more details). If I’m feeling crazy, I might add a bit of mustard, honey, shallot or an herb. I never use bottled dressings. Ever. I generally just don’t like the flavor, and there are too many unknowns like additives, chemicals, and/or calories. The salad dressing shouldn’t be the star but should accentuate the characteristics of the other ingredients, keeping everything light and delicious.
There is no better time to embrace the winter salad. After all, swimsuit season is just around the corner.
Winter Greens, Peppered Mackerel, and Crunchy Things
Begin by selecting and washing the greens. If you have anything in the winter garden like arugula, spinach or tiny Swiss chard, use those. To augment, I chose brilliant red Treviso radicchio, the pale, tender, crunchy inner leaves of a head of escarole (save the dark green outer leaves for cooking—see last month’s “Beans and Greens” article), and the delicate leaves of frisee, all cut or torn into large bite-sized pieces before washing. Soaking salad greens in cold water both removes any dirt or grit and refreshes any leaves that may be a bit wilted. While the leaves are soaking, assemble and prepare the other ingredients. Thinly slice a small red onion (or shallot) and put it in the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the rings with a tablespoon or two of wine vinegar (this lightly pickles the onion and turns it a brilliant pink) and set aside while continuing. Thinly slice a few sunchokes and add to the bowl, followed by a medium-sized apple (I love Honeycrisp) cut into matchsticks. Toss these items in the vinegar to keep them from oxidizing. Add a small handful of bread-and-butter pickles (optional, but delicious). Drain and dry the greens in a salad spinner—or put them in a dish towel, take them outside and sling them dry like I do). Add them to the bowl along with a few sliced radishes (I don’t macerate the radishes in the vinegar with the other vegetables because they get a little funky, like an obnoxious sauerkraut). Remove the skin from a fillet or two of smoked mackerel and shred the fish into the bowl. Last, drizzle everything with your favorite extra-virgin olive oil, and season with flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper. With clean hands, toss and turn the salad until everything is coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning and the oil or vinegar if needed. Serve promptly, although this salad is sturdy enough to sit around for a bit.
In Your Pantry
Vinegar
In addition to the grocery-store shelf of distilled white and generic wine vinegars devoid of personality and character, there is a whole world of elegant acidity waiting to enhance your next dining experience. Good vinegars aren’t just sour—they can have the complexity and finesse of good wines. Look for vinegars by single farms or producers, and for extra deliciousness, search out those with the designation “barrel aged.” Available at specialty purveyors like The Tasteful Olive in Old Overland Park.
Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother
Not your everyday cider vinegar, this usually-cloudy vinegar contains the “mother,” the raft of cellulose and acetic acid that forms on top of fermenting alcoholic liquids, and is purported to have many health benefits. It’s also fruity and delicious with notes of caramel—and apple.
Barrel-Aged White-Wine Vinegar
The age in this vinegar helps balance what can normally be a fruit forward and acidic product, and accentuates floral, grapey, oaky notes. It smells like the best wine cellar stacked full of wooden barrels you’ve ever visited. Look for “Invecchiato” (aged) Moscato from Italy.
Barrel-Aged Red-Wine Vinegar
The subtle sweetness and expansive, yet not abrasive, fruit in this barrel-aged Moscatel vinegar from Jerez, Spain, will be a lovely addition to just about any salad. This will become your salad vinegar for all special and not so special occasions.
Sherry Vinegar Pedro Ximenez
This absolutely delicious condiment, both sweet and savory with hints of raisins and dried fruits, is comparable to a young balsamico—but completely different. A must in any salad with roasted peppers—you could even sip it or use it to make a refreshing and complex cocktail. Yum.