A Perfect Winter Salad

by Dana Jacobi

For nearly half the year, my dinner frequently consists of a huge green salad tossed with grilled chicken, canned tuna, salmon, beans or any other protein. But almost as if a switch has been pulled, when the weather turns cool, I lose interest in raw vegetables.

By no means does this mean I stop eating salads during the winter. I simply find myself drawn to cozy varieties. I might enjoy a Moroccan-inspired dish like steamed carrots tossed with cinnamon and a touch of orange juice. Or perhaps borrow from the Japanese and serve cooked chopped spinach lightly dressed with soy sauce and sesame seeds.

Salads that feature citrus are one way I can be tempted to enjoy raw vegetables during the winter months. This week’s gem is an elegant yet simple combination of grapefruit sections, fennel wedges and shards of savory Italian Asiago cheese, dressed with a drizzle of olive oil. Two popular Italian combinations, fennel with sliced orange and fennel with shards of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese inspired this salad.

While fennel is available most of the year, the largest, most fleshy bulbs come to market during the winter. Crisp, delicately pale and licorice-sweet, it is the perfect partner for juicy, vibrant red grapefruit.

Grapefruit and oranges are available year round too, although you’ll find the most flavorful varieties during winter. The ruby red grapefruit used here is delicious and packed with nutrients. It gets its glowing color from lycopene, a phytochemical that has been associated with decreased prostate cancer risk.

I use Asiago cheese because it is subtler and less salty than Parmigiano. Its gentler flavor and creamier texture are ideal here. Asiagos made in Wisconsin and California are both excellent choices and cost a fraction of the price of authentic Italian Parmigiano. Use the leftover cheese over pasta, soup or alongside fresh fruit.

Fennel and Red Grapefruit Salad with Asiago Cheese - Makes 4 servings.

1 large fennel bulb
1 large red grapefruit
1 oz. Asiago cheese
4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil, preferably mild and fruity
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Trim the fennel by slicing it across the top just where the bulb starts to swell, cutting off any stalks and fronds. Cut off a slice from the tough bottom. With your fingers pull away any tough or bruised outer layers. Halve the bulb vertically, making 2 pieces. Cut each half vertically into five 1/2-inch wedges. Trim away most of the hard core from each wedge, leaving just enough to hold its layers together.

Cut the top and bottom off the grapefruit, cutting deep enough to expose the flesh. Standing the grapefruit on its flat bottom on a work surface, work a knife down the side, following the curved shape of the fruit to slice the peel and white pith in a strip. Keep rotating the grapefruit until all the peel is removed. Holding the peeled fruit over a bowl, work the knife in along the membrane on both sides of every section, releasing the flesh into the bowl. Squeeze the juice from the membrane into the bowl.

To assemble the salad, on each of four salad plates, arrange 5 fennel wedges in an arc. Fan out 4 grapefruit wedges below the fennel, slightly overlapping them. Holding the chunk of cheese over each plate, use a vegetable peeler to shave a few thin slices over the salad, using one-quarter ounce of the cheese for each serving. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil over each salad. Season with a pinch of ground pepper. Serve the salad immediately.

Per serving: 110 calories, 7 g total fat (2 g saturated fat), 11 g carbohydrate, 3 g protein, 3 g dietary fiber, 115 mg sodium.