Winter Chopped Salad with Citrus Dressing
sandravalvassori.com
Packed with color, bold flavors and lots of crunch, this gorgeous Winter Chopped Salad with Citrus Dressing is worthy of any special occasion meal, but it’s so delicious and flavorful, you’ll want to serve it all winter long.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the salad
- 5 slices bacon (preferably thick cut) cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 small head radicchio (5 ounces), chopped
- 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly sliced (see notes)
- 2 ripe pears, ripe, but firm, unpeeled, cored and chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped, plus a few more for topping
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) dried cherries, plus a few more for topping
- 2 ounces blue cheese, optional, or use feta, manchego, or goat cheese
For the dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 medium orange
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or fine sea salt
Instructions
- Line a plate with paper towels, set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Remove to prepared plate.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest and juice, maple syrup, mustard, pepper and salt until combined. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking contstantly, until emulsfied.
- In a large bowl, toss together half of the bacon, the radicchio, Brussels sprouts, pears, onion, parsley, and cherries. Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss again. Sprinkle the rest of the bacon, the pecans and the blue cheese (if using) over the salad. Drizzle with a little more dressing to taste, and top with more pecans and dried cherries, if desired.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from The Washington Post
To trim the Brussels sprouts: Trim off the hard root end and remove any bruised or yellowed outer leaves. Using a mandoline, or sharp knife, shave the sprouts one at a time. Then, use your fingers to separate any leaves that are still attached so that the shredded sprouts resemble a very fine slaw. You should have about 4 cups of shaved Brussels sprouts.
To store: The dressed salad will lose a bit of crunch when stored but it will still be delicious. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Any leftover dressing can be covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Pro Tip: If you know you will have leftovers of this chopped salad, leave some of it undressed and don't add the pears.