Winter is often overlooked in terms of bountiful fresh produce, but it boasts some of my favorites. I love winter produce ingredients especially when building beautiful seasonal salads. over the holidays and in to the new year, I love making inventive salads for entertaining or in an effort to eat more produce. behold, my favorite winter salad ingredients…
fresh winter citrus
fresh citrus is in season during the winter months and adds a gorgeous addition to salads as well as a sweet & tart flavor punch. you can use fresh oranges, tart grapefruits, kumquats, sweet ruby red texas grapefruits, pomelos or bergamot oranges. You will want to use a culinary technique called, “supreming,” to remove the skin and pith from the citrus. This yields only the delicious fruit without the bitter pith or membrane. this technique can be tricky at first, but becomes second nature when you get the hang of it. citrus with more tartness like limes, lemons and Meyer lemons have amazing aromatic zest that you can grate into salad vinaigrettes. Absolutely delicious.
roasted winter squash:
Winter squash is also in abundance in the winter. I love all winter squash varieties especially acorn squash, kabocha squash, delicata squash, butternut squash and red kuri squash. take caution when slicing winter squash as the skin is tough and fibrous. A very sharp knife and secure cutting board placement are your two best tools.
for our thanksgiving salad, I roasted medium cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper, Aleppo Chile flakes and fresh thyme until golden brown and tender. make sure to Let your roasted squash cool to room temperature before adding to the winter salad.
fresh seasonal apples & salty aged cheese:
fresh apples are also in abundance over the winter season. the varieties to choose from are plentiful and delicious paired with a salty aged cheese. I love using an aged manchego, (shown), smoked gouda, aged white cheddar or parmigiano reggiano. For this particular salad, I chose vibrant and sugary-sweet organic honey crisp apples paired with a 12-month aged manchego. The older the cheese is, the more expensive it becomes, but a little bit goes a long way.
a tart vinaigrette:
in an effort to build a flavor-balanced salad, I often keep my vinaigrette on the more acidic side when using fruits in my salads. This champagne shallot vinaigrette is my go-to salad dressing and pairs beautiful with seasonal winter produce. bright and acidic champagne vinegar pairs with a touch of pure maple syrup, sharp minced shallots, lemon zest and a touch of Chile flakes. just shake it all up in a mason jar and you are ready to go!
I hope I’ve provided some salad-building inspiration with my favorite winter salad ingredients. try out some new salad combinations and pair them with my gluten-free harvest quiche– a match made in heaven!
Champagne Shallot Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- ¼ cup champagne vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon shallot minced
- 1.5 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- ½ cup good olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon aleppo chile flakes (or crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1 teaspoon picked thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon good salt
- 10 turns fresh-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- To a mason jar, add all ingredients then shake vigorously to emulsify, 20-30 seconds. You can make a few days ahead and store in refrigerator, just make sure to bring to room temperature before adding to your salad.
