This salad is a contrast of sharp and peppery with sweet and crisp. If you are not a fan of cilantro feel free to skip it, but the minty-citrusy hard to describe flavor of cilantro leaves, in a small quantity add a nice note in the face of the more bold flavors of radicchio and arugula. This salad is a great foil for pork, duck, turkey, or chicken. If you feel the salad needs toning down a little, use the option for adding the lettuce, which will spread out the other more forthright flavors.
INGREDIENTS:
1 head radicchio, or 4 cups loose, radicchio, sliced into 1/8th inch shreds 4 cups wild arugula, loosely packed, washed and dried ½-1 cup picked cilantro leaves 2-4 apples, crisp and sweet-tart, such as Jonagold, Mutsu, etc, cut into 1/8th -inch matchsticks (using a mandolin/fixed-blade slicer can make this easier) ¼-½ cup roasted almonds, coarsely sliced -Optional- 2-4 cups green oak leaf lettuce torn into small bite-sized bits 1 cup, or as needed, Apple Balsamic Dressing (see recipe) Salt and pepper to taste if you wishMETHOD:
In a large bowl, mix the radicchio and arugula, and lettuce if using, by gently tossing it with your fingers. Scatter the cilantro leaves over the surface and then gently mix in. Spread the apple sticks over the salad and toss the salad to mix in.
Drizzle with just enough dressing to moisten the salad and toss to coat evenly. Mound salad on 4 plates, then scatter with almonds. Sprinkle a little coarse salt and a smidge of pepper on if you wish. Serve right away.
Chef’s Notes: Using sprouts or microgreens would also be a good way to soften the bitter notes of this salad, and would also add loft to it. Mix in the sprouts with the apples, and use a little on the top with the nuts for visuals. Blue cheese or a Gorgonzola Dolce would go well with this salad. If you have pears, they would work also. Depending on the pears, you might wish to use Apple White Balsamic Dressing instead (see recipe).
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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