Colorful autumn/winter salads

Probably at this point in the onrushing dark chill of December, your table could use bright spots. Especially if you've still got turkey soup and other holiday leftovers on it. Or if, like me, you're making fast and comforting pasta dinners that could use a sunny companion. Nothing colors a table like a glamorous salad and now is the time to make one with the last of the autumn fruits: red pomegranates, orange persimmons, rich brown dates and ivory pears. These salads uplift  just about everything--and the inclusion of nuts and cheeses ups the protein ante for vegetarians. So here are a few to get you going.

There are no exact recipes for these so I'm giving the ingredient list with proportions.

Persimmon, clementine, pomegranate frisee
Frisee, the crinkly lettuce, is in season right now and it's sturdy enough to keep its shape under the weight of fruits. Plus it has more crunch than regular lettuces, which makes it a perfect companion for the soft persimmon. That's the salad pictured above.
for 4

1 med frisee, washed and dry
1/2 c pomegranate arils (technically they're not seeds)
1 fuyu persimmon, peeled  
1 clementine or seedless mandarin
4 scallions, cleaned,
1/2 c toasted whole pecans
 8  Kalamata or other black olives, pitted or not

 Separate the frisee leaves and break or cut them into bite sized pieces. Line the bottom of your serving bowl or plate with all of them.     Slice the persimmon lengthwise into thin strips and arrange on the frisee. Peel the clementine/mandarin and separate the segments. Distribute these among the persimmon. Strew the olives among the orange fruits for color contrast.  Then even distribute the pecans. Finely chop the scallions. Toss the scallions and pomegranate arils on top. 
for the dressing
1 tbsp raspberry vinegar 
3 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper  

Whisk together all ingredients and spoon as much as you want over the salad to serve.
                    
Citrus Salad with Almonds 

This recipe will be  good to have on hand all winter because you'll need all the sunshine Vitamin C  in its citrus.    
Serves 8

1 navel orange, peeled
2 blood oranges, peeled
1 lg red grapefruit, peeled
4 clementines or seedless mandarins, peeled
1 small radicchio trimmed and cut into ½” wide wedges
1 c wild arugula, washed and drained,
1 bunch watercress, leaves only, coarsely chopped

Slice the oranges into thin disks, then quarter each disk.
Pull the grapefruit apart in sections and cut each section into 3-4 pieces.
Pull the clementines apart into sections.
Combine everything in a serving bowl.

For the dressing

3 oz roasted unsalted almonds, roughly chopped

2 green chilies, deseeded and thinly sliced
2” fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 tbsp coriander seeds*
1 tbsp fennel seeds*
1½ tbsp poppy seeds
¼ c good sherry vinegar   
½ c olive oil
Coarse sea salt and black pepper

*if you can lightly crush these, great

To make the dressing: combine all the ingredients. Pour over salad slowly because there may be more dressing than you like.

Pear, blue cheese and spiced walnut 
This is sometimes called "winter salad." It was so popular in my food business, a local restauranteur  copied it and it became his most popular menu item for years. You can use firm lettuce if you don't have spinach and arugula.
 serves 4

1 Asian pear or 2 firm large barlett, comice or red pears 
 2 tbsp dried cranberries
1/2 c toasted or spiced walnuts  
1 sm red onion, sliced into thinnest rings that are halved          
3/4 lb baby spinach leaves, washed and dry
1/4 lb  arugula, washed and dry
1/2 c crumbled Gorgonzola, blue or Roquefort cheese              
  

For the dressing: 

Whisk together

Pinch of salt

½ tsp orange juice, a sour orange like Valencia is best

 ½ tsp lemon juice

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp + 1 tsp fruity olive oil

Optional: pinch of ground clove

Pour as much dressing as you prefer evenly over the salad and serve.

Date, celery salad

serves 6

8 celery stalks, thinly sliced on the diagonal. Chop the leaves too.

6 fresh dates, pitted and coarsely chopped

1/2 c roasted almonds, halved. Whole is okay too.

1/2 sm red onion, diced

2 tsp minced fresh mint leaves

pinch red pepper flakes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 oz shaved Parmesan cheese 

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 c extra good olive oil

Combine celery and leaves, dates, almonds, onion and pepper flakes in a serving bowl. Moisten with the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and olive oil and lastly stir in the mint leaves.