Let's Talk Salads

Let's talk about salads in winter.  Around January and February I start craving salads like nobody's business.  After a couple months without summer's bounty anybody would be dying for fresh, beautiful, juicy vegetables.  Crisp and mouthwatering.  A girl can only live so long on root veggies

The problem is, those vegetables are not at their best in January or February.  Salads can be a little lackluster in the winter.

So my new solution is to fill salads with winter appropriate ingredients - lots of protein.  Luckily lettuce doesn't really suffer when not in season, so it's a great accompaniment for meats and cheeses.  I picked up some heirloom tomatoes at the store because they were insanely cheap.  There was a reason for it.  Will I ever learn my lesson with buying out of season tomatoes?  It must be the eternal optimist in me.  I really miss summer tomatoes and I always think maybe, just maybe, this tomato will be different.  The mystical winter tomato that will somehow be delicious.  And it just never is.

However - the reds and oranges really do add to the beauty of the salad.  And a beautiful salad might just be enough to get us through these next few months.

Chef Salad

2 Tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp heavy cream

1 head of romaine lettuce

1 bunch of radishes, sliced thinly

2 stalks of celery, cut into matchstick size pieces

2 tomatoes cut into wedges

3/4 cup sliced swiss cheese

1 cup sliced ham

1 cup sliced cooked chicken

2 hardboiled eggs, quartered

1. Mix the vinegar and salt in a small bowl and let sit for a couple minutes.  Add the pepper and whisk in the oil.  Whisk in the cream.  Refrigerate until ready to use and then re-whisk to combine.
2.  Tear the romaine lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Toss with radishes, celery, and half of the dressing.
3.  Arrange the tomato wedges and eggs around the edge of the bowl.
4. Spread the chicken, ham, and cheese over the lettuce and vegetables.
5. Salt and pepper the salad.  Spoon the remaining dressing over the salad before serving.