Fork on the Road

Just a quick, festive salad idea to send you off towards the New Year feeling healthy and pleasantly nourished. May the next few weeks bring you peace, blessings, great food, even better memories – and perhaps a little snow.

Mixed Greens with Pomegranate, Beet Wisps, and Fresh Herbs

I love this salad right around the holidays as it never fails to fill a bowl full of seasonal colors. People line up to serve themselves because it looks so festive and healthy with the glistening pomegranate seeds and beautiful variety of greens. The raw, shaved  beet wisps are also lovely,  adding a sweet and novel New England crunch to the dish. I’ve shared my favorite recipe for our homemade dressing but also think a pomegranate vinaigrette would be wonderful as well.

For the Salad:

2 ounces baby arugula ( about 2-3 cups)

2 small heads romaine hearts (cut into  bite sized pieces)

1/4 head radicchio (torn into bite sized pieces)

1/2 head red leaf lettuce (spines removed, torn into bite sized pieces)

1/8 lb raw red beet (about 1/4 small beet) shaved into “wisps” using a vegetable peeler

1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

a handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

For the Vinaigrette:

1/8 cup Xeres vinegar

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

2 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp kosher salt

a few grinds of freshly ground pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (depending on your preference)

To make your vinaigrette: In a medium-sized ball jar or bowl, combine the vinegars and shallots. Let this vinegar mixture “sit” for at five minutes (so that the vinegar has a chance to briefly marinate the shallots). Now add the mustard, honey, salt and pepper to the jar and mix well so that it is emulsified. Next pour in the oil (for a sharp dressing with a punch add 1/3 cup olive oil – for a mellower flavor, add up to 1/2 cup oil or even more…you be the judge).

For the Salad: In a big, beautiful bowl arrange your assortment of greens so they look fluffy and colorful. Sprinkle the beet shavings, pomegranate seeds, and parsley decoratively atop the lettuces. When you are ready to serve your salad, dress it with your homemade vinaigrette adding just enough so that the leaves are shiny and look full of flavor.