Salad to suit the season

Even though the popular "spring mix" of greens has become ubiquitous in grocery stores year round, it just seems wrong to rely on it as a main salad ingredient every season of the year - especially in winter.

Once, not so long ago, farmers, gardeners and diners waited eagerly for the first tender young leaves of lettuces and other greens to herald spring.

Nowadays, modern farming, processing and shipping allows us all to serve clean and ready-cut salad from a bag whenever we please.

Of course, I'm not complaining. I too find myself eating and serving many more salads than I might otherwise and am grateful not to have to trim every leaf. Indeed, the variety of salad mixes now readily available is really a testament to how much we value a good salad all year long.

But I also revel in the opportunity to fully enjoy the differences between seasons. I find that richer flavors and warmer foods temper the barren, cold landscape.

Hearty roasted root vegetables and seared and seasoned greens elevate commonplace ingredients and make for uncommon but very tasty salads.

Warm braised leeks on a bed of watercress with blood oranges and hazelnuts just feels more fitting when the ground is covered with snow.

There are a surprisingly large number of vegetables and fruits to consider when contemplating the creation of an interesting winter salad.

Golden and striped beets, yellow rutabaga, lime-green leeks and avocado, blood oranges, purple potatoes, creamy white cauliflower - a rainbow of colors all fresh and available for your salad plate.

The textural and taste opportunities are equally varied. Vegetables such as turnip or rutabaga add a crisp tang when grated and used raw, and a lovely soft sweetness if cubed and roasted.

Celeriac - a knobby variety of celery in which the starchy root is the main attraction - is served all over Europe in salad, but is less well known here. It is also delightful raw, either grated or cut into thin strips (julienned) and tossed with creamy dressing.

Many of the hearty greens such as kale, chard or beet greens and escarole are excellent chopped and steamed or sauteed with garlic or onions. These greens can then be used warm or at room temperature as a bed or base for many vegetable, meat, or bean salads.

Onions and leeks can be roasted, braised or browned. As a main element or garnish the sweetness and softness of these familiar vegetables marries exceptionally well to vinaigrettes and citrus and other tangy dressings.

There is still quite some time before our backyards and local farms will be filled with green instead of white and brown. And while we wait for real spring greens, we can be suitably sustained with so many alternatives to baby lettuces in a bag.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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4 medium-sized leeks

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh black pepper

1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

3 blood oranges

Basic vinaigrette:

1/2 cup fruity olive oil

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

2 cups baby spinach or 1 bunch watercress, washed and trimmed

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1. Cut the green top and any tough outer layers from each leek, leaving the firm white base. Barely trim the root end at this point. Reserve the greens for stock. Split the leek lengthwise and swish and soak the halves in tepid water until completely clean; leaving the root end helps to keep the leek intact. Rinse leeks well and drain.

2. Heat a saute pan large enough to hold the leeks in one layer with the olive oil over medium heat until just hot. Add the leeks cut side up and cook 3-5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the stock and seasonings and cover. Simmer gently over low heat until leeks are soft - about 10 minutes depending on their size. Let cook in the stock.

3. Meanwhile, peel the blood oranges with a knife to remove all pith, and cut perfect sections between the membranes into a bowl. Squeeze all the remaining juice from the peels and reserve for the vinaigrette.

4. Add the reserved juice along with all the vinaigrette ingredients and shake or whisk until well blended.

5. To assemble: Toss the watercress or spinach with most of the vinaigrette (to taste) - reserving at least 3 tablespoons. Arrange dressed watercress as a bed on a platter. Trim the remaining root end from the leek and arrange the leeks browned side up, interspersed with the blood orange segments. Drizzle some of the remaining vinaigrette on the leeks. Top with toasted hazelnuts.

Per serving (based on 6): 291 calories; 2 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams sugar; 26 grams fat; trace cholesterol; 647 milligrams sodium; 3 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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2 small purple-top or white turnips, trimmed and cubed

2 small or 1 large yellow rutabaga, trimmed and cubed

1 medium golden beet, cut into chunks

Olive oil as needed

1 small onion, peeled and minced

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin

2 to 3 soft sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup cooked white beans (if using canned beans rinse well)

1/4-1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 head frisee, outer leaves removed, trimmed, washed and sliced thin

Basic vinaigrette (see accompanying recipe)

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1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl toss the turnips, rutabaga, and beet in olive oil to coat. Season well with salt and pepper. Spread oiled seasoned vegetables on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes until browned and softened. Remove from oven to a cooling rack.

2. Meanwhile, saute the onion in a bit of olive oil over medium heat in a medium saute pan until very lightly browned. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the beans and stock and cook until the stock is absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in the roasted vegetables and chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasoning.

3. Steam the frisee over boiling water until just wilted, or if quite tender use raw. Toss the frisee in enough vinaigrette to dress well. Arrange greens as a bed and top with warm beans and roasted vegetables. Any additional dressing can be drizzled on beans if desired.

Per serving (based on 6): 297 calories, 6 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams sugar, 21 grams fat, trace cholesterol, 318 milligrams sodium, 7 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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For the Warm Dressing (Bagna Cauda)

3/4 cup best quality fruity olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, sliced paper-thin

2 ounces anchovy fillet, minced fine

2 teaspoons capers

Juice of 1 lemon

An assortment of vegetables (to fill a 10-inch plate):

Celery stalks, halved length-

wise and cut to 3 inches

Fennel, trimmed and halved, sliced thin

Radishes, cleaned and halved (if they are large)

Carrots, scrubbed and sliced into 3- to 4-inch batons

Cauliflower, small florets

Beets, well-trimmed and washed, sliced paper-thin

Cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded, and sliced lengthwise into strips

Red or yellow bell peppers, cut into strips

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1. In a small saucepan heat the olive oil with the garlic and anchovies over very low heat for 15-20 minutes. The oil will quiver, but should not simmer. The garlic should not brown but will soften and season the oil. Add the capers and keep warm. Just before serving add the lemon juice, taste and adjust for salt.

2. The vegetables should be arranged on either a serving platter or individual plates. The dressing can be served warm in the pan, or kept warm with a votive candle for dipping, or served drizzled on each portion or over the platter at the table.

Per serving (based on 6, without warm dressing): 302 calories, 4 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams sugar, 29 grams fat, 6 milligrams cholesterol, 107 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.EndText

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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One medium head of savoy or other green cabbage

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 carrot, scrubbed, cut into very thin strips

5 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced paper-thin

4-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, sliced thin and each slice cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

4 scallions, trimmed and sliced thin

1 hot red pepper, seeded and sliced very thin (optional)

Salt

3 tablespoons black sesame seeds, or toasted white sesame seeds

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1. Remove tough outer leaves and core of cabbage and cut crosswise into strips.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a very large saute pan over medium to high heat until very hot. Add the cabbage and carrots and let sear until browned (1 to 3 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger before turning and then toss, cooking for another 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Cabbage should be quite browned in parts, but still crisp.

3. In a nonreactive bowl add the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, chopped scallions, and sliced pepper if using. Add the cabbage and carrots and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or sugar or vinegar as needed. Sprinkle with the black sesame seeds just before serving warm, room temperature or cold.

Per serving: 110 calories, 2 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams sugar, 8 grams fat, no cholesterol, 212 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.EndText