San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Radicchio, pear, bacon yield layers of salad flavor
Sometimes spring produce feels like a shiny sports car that catches your eye as it whizzes by on a beautiful day. It’s bright with lovely detailing in its tender fronds, stems and leaves.
In fall and winter, generally, fruits and vegetables get heavier, more like a sturdy sedan that everyone can climb into to bump along comfortably down the highway. Think apples and pears and assertive greens, such as kale, cabbage or collards.
This fall, after a trip to the farmers market, I leaned into the season to make this complex and colorful chopped salad with a sweet citrus dressing, luscious pear, bitter radicchio and salty bacon.
It’s no secret that at the end of a hectic day, a chopped salad is a great way to ease into dinner and use produce we may have on hand. But, as you build your salad, think about creating a variety of flavors and textures.
What makes this one work for me are the contrasts: The slightly bitter radicchio is softened by the orange dressing sweetened with maple syrup. The smoky,
crunchy bacon and toasted walnuts are balanced by the luscious softness of the just-ripe pear and a handful of chewy, sweet, dried cherries.
Still, it is easy to make substitutions by selecting your favorite greens, such as ones mentioned above or maybe iceberg lettuce, chard or frisee. Slice an apple rather than a pear and toss in pecans or sunflower seeds rather than walnuts. Don’t like sweet dressing? Use lemons or grapefruit in place of oranges for
a tart, bright finish. If you want to make the salad vegan, omit the bacon or make your own mushroom bacon instead.
This hearty salad can be a meal in itself, but it also makes a pretty accompaniment to roasted meats or that holiday turkey or ham.
Want to make the salad ahead of time? Combine all of the ingredients, except the dressing and the pear, and refrigerate. Then, when ready to serve, chop the pear and toss it all with the dressing.