Over the years, as I’ve taken small steps (my favorite approach to any kind of important change) on the way to improving my diet and health, I’ve tended more and more toward eating locally and in season. For me, that’s meant letting things like lettuce-based salads go by the wayside until spring and summer return.
I’ve noticed I don’t miss tomatoes or green beans or zucchini in the winter – a sign that my body and my palate are adjusting to the rhythm of the seasons. When summer brings local lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers to my farmers market and my garden, I’ll be ready!
But there are salads that work well in the winter. An easy one I like is simply sliced oranges or grapefruit, sliced avocado, slivered red onion and some chopped Kalamata olives, all drizzled with a simple vinaigrette dressing. Granted, citrus and avocados don’t grow in my area, but I’m willing to make some concessions to globalism!
Another winter salad I’ve served a lot lately is made with radicchio, a cool weather crop that passes the seasonal test. There are a couple of amazing restaurants (this one and this one) in my city that serve a radicchio salad I must have each time I eat there. The salads are very simple, so I thought I could easily reproduce them at home. Not so fast!
Radicchio is a member of the chicory family of bitter herbs, and so it is BITTER! The restaurant version has just a touch of bitterness, which is a great compliment to rich dishes, but my attempt was not super tasty. It occurred to me that the restaurant may have tamed their radicchio by soaking. It works for liver, so why not? Sure enough, after 20 minutes in a bath of ice water, radicchio comes to the table with better manners and less of an edge. Success!
Bitter greens (or reds, in this case) are great accompaniments to a meal because they support the liver and gall bladder, so they can do their job of helping to digest fat. This version bathes the crunchy radicchio and a bit of fresh parsley with a garlicky Caesar dressing. Once you’ve sliced and soaked your radicchio, though, feel free to pair it with any favorite dressing.
Radicchio Caesar Salad
Salad
- 1/2 head radicchio, cut in quarters and core removed
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- Water and ice to soak radicchio
Dressing (Makes about 1 cup, enough for 2 or 3 salads):
- 1 pastured egg yolk
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or mashed to a paste
- 1 tablespoon finely minced canned anchovy
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce or fish sauce (Red Boat brand recommended)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients except the olive oil. Drizzle in the olive oil, while whisking constantly to blend. Dressing should thicken and emulsify. Keep unused dressing in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Slice radicchio in 1/4-inch wide ribbons. Fill a large bowl half full of cold water and add a handful of ice cubes. Put sliced radicchio in the water and let soak for 20 minutes. Drain and dry radicchio completely, either with a tea towel or in a salad spinner. Wet radicchio will dilute the dressing.
In a salad bowl, mix dry radicchio, chopped parsley and 3-4 tablespoons of the dressing, or to taste. Toss well to coat all the radicchio.
Serves 2-4
