Recipe: Winter Chopped Salad

the appetizer:

Prepare for the winter party season with Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington, featuring recipes like Winter Chopped Salad; Roast Duck Legs with Caramelized Shallots and Garlic; and Savory Bread Pudding with Bacon, Peppers, and Spinach.

Winter Chopped Salad

Serves 8 as a first course, 6 as a main course

With a little help from a dish always served at the Restaurant at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, I've reinterpreted a chopped salad using winter ingredients. To speed preparation, you can purchase a rotisserie chicken rather than cook the chicken breasts yourself. Serve this salad for a casual weekend brunch, along with Mushroom and Potato Bisque with Pancetta Croutons (page 66 of the book). It is also good on a buffet lunch table.

Ingredients

Dressing

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 head radicchio, cored and finely chopped
2 heads romaine lettuce, light green and white leaves only, finely chopped
1-1/4 pounds cooked chicken breasts, skin and bones
removed and cut into 1-inch dice (about3 cups)
1 fuji, gala, or pink lady apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup candied pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup crumbled blue or fresh goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt , and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

2. Place the radicchio, romaine, chicken, apple, cranberries, nuts, and cheese in a large salad bowl.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pepper (if desired) and serve.

Advance Preparation

Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead, cover, and keep at room temperature. Whisk well before using. Make the salad up to 4 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate.

The Clever Cook Could:

Substitute 3 cups diced cooked turkey for the chicken.
Add 6 strips of bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled.
Omit the chicken and serve the salad as a first course.
If you're not a fan of chopped salad, tear the lettuce and radicchio leaves into bite-size pieces instead of finely chopping them.