Fennel and Radicchio Winter Salad with Pecans

Faith Durand

Fennel and Radicchio Winter Salad with Pecans, A Christmas Treat With the Taste of Days Gone By

This Fennel and Radicchio Winter Salad with Pecans recipe, came out of my need for a fresh salad and one expedition to the grocery store. I just picked up a few relatively seasonal things to toss together, and the result was this crunchy, slightly bitter, tangy salad.

It's cold and chilly outside, and we're not quite sure if the sun even came up today. So while we're eating copious quantities of soup, we're also craving greens and fresh vegetables for color and nourishment. You may think that salads are off-limits and out of season, but that isn't so. There are plenty of vegetables at their peak in winter, and many make wonderful salads.

Cabbage, beets and fennel are all very good this time of year, and dark leafy greens like chard and kale grow right through the winter. You can buy arugula and other more tender greens from greenhouses.

Even if you aren't above buying something from far away once in a while in the winter, certain things just seem to taste better in the right time of year. Asparagus seems odd when not at its true peak in spring, and tomatoes belong to late summer. These vegetables are just the same: Cabbage often has a sweet ripeness this time of year, and the fennel bulbs are big and juicy. Don't miss out on this season of vegetables!

It's really hard to go wrong with vegetables like these. The bitter radicchio is pleasant with the sweet, anise-flavored fennel, and the romaine lightens everything up with its crunch. The dressing is just a basic one, too -- a little lemon, vinegar and oil. The pecans add a little toasty depth to a bright salad.

Fennel & Radicchio Winter Salad with Pecans Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 4 minutes

Yield: Serves 6

Fennel & Radicchio Winter Salad with Pecans Recipe Ingredients

Olive oil

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

2 small bulbs fennel

1 small head radicchio

2 hearts of romaine

Flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces pecorino cheese

For the dressing:

1 lemon

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

Fennel & Radicchio Winter Salad with Pecans Recipe Instructions

Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a medium skillet over moderately high heat.

Add the chopped pecans and cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until they smell toasted and are developing dark spots. Set aside to cool.

Trim the fennel bulbs of their tops and stem end. Cut each bulb in half lengthwise and finely slice it using a mandoline.

Cut the radicchio in half lengthwise and remove the core and stem end. Finely slice the radicchio on the mandoline as well.

Chop the romaine hearts crosswise into bite size pieces and toss with the rest of the vegetables in a large bowl.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Shave in the pecorino cheese (the mandoline is great for this, too). Toss the cheese

into the salad, and add the cooled pecans and toss those in as well.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and toss with the mixed salad.

Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

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Fennel and Radicchio Winter Salad Recipe with Pecans