I’d never really considered the winter salad until I lived in California and discovered an entire universe of cold weather greens, including chicories, which take many forms, from frilly frisée to bitter, deep fuschia radicchio.
Of course, winter is when you need salad the most, when your body is longing for something crunchy and refreshing to combat the rich braises and other stick-to-your-ribs foods our lizard brain demands when it’s cold. I like to load my salads with flavor and texture. Here, the bitterness of the chicories is countered by maple-roasted squash and red onions, whose sweetness is in turn balanced by the blue cheese. A final sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds adds crunch.
If yours is the kind of family that allows new additions to the Thanksgiving table from year to year, consider making this salad part of the feast.
Serves 6
½ cup pumpkin seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium delicata squash, peeled, seeded, halved and cut crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
3 tablespoons red wine or Sherry wine vinegar
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
8 cups mixed chicories, such as Treviso, radicchio, frisée or castelfranco, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pumpkin seeds in a small cast iron frying pan or rimmed baking sheet, transfer to the oven and bake until lightly toasted, about 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and season the seeds with a pinch of salt.
Put the sliced squash and onion wedges in a large bowl, drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, spread in a single layer and bake, turning once, until the squash is tender and golden brown on both sides and the onion wedges are soft and slightly frizzled, about 30 minutes. Drizzle with the maple syrup and bake 5 minutes more, until the squash and onions are lightly caramelized. Remove from the oven and let cool. The squash and onions can be roasted in advance; if making the salad within a few hours, leave them at room temperature. Otherwise, let cool at room temperature, then cover and transfer to the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before using.
While the squash roasts, make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the mustard, a pinch of salt and some pepper and the vinegar. Whisk in the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil until the dressing is emulsified.
Put the chicories in a large salad bowl. Add the roasted squash and onions, the blue cheese and the pumpkin seeds, pour the dressing over, and toss gently with your hands to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper and serve.