Endive, Fennel and Radicchio Salad

This pretty salad offers an intriguing balance of crisp and soft, earthy and luscious, tangy and sweet in its thoughtful composition.

A Beautiful Holiday Salad

This Endive, Fennel and Radicchio Salad is a beauty. Like Christmas itself, it is bright and festive. Adorned in ruffled leaves and lacy fronds it has a sweet appearance. Wrapped simply, in a classic lemon vinaigrette, this elegant salad also delivers a sheer savor.

Casually arranged on a serving platter, slender leaves of endive cup feathery fennel fronds and luscious plump pomegranate arils. Crisply pleated radicchio offers a crimson contrast while curved slivers of fennel bulbs punctuate with subtle tones of anise. Toasted walnut halves ground the winter medley with a hint of rich earthy complexity.

First impressions suggest this salad will have a universal appeal. In its composition there is an element for everyone: warm color, crisp crunch, sharp contrast, layered depth. There are jewels and citrus and nuts. There is freshness and tradition.  

At first taste, however, one begins to understand that this is a salad for mature tastes. While it looks lovely and checks off every box for holiday entertaining, when you consider it closely, you can’t help but hear it whisper of bitterness. As you continue to ingest its varied components it is hard to deny the lingering taste of its jeweled tears. 

The Enjoyment of Bitter Herbs

Chicories make dependable cold weather salad greens. This family of hearty leaves includes endive, frisée, escarole and radicchio. They are traditional favorites for adding flavor and interest to winter fare. And yet, though a thoughtful accompaniment to a holiday dinner, bitterness remains an indelible part of their flavor profile.

Does it help that chicories are good for you? Bitter herbs can be good medicine. Bitters are also a component of most aperitifs, those lovely French drinks consumed before a meal to arouse the appetite, aid digestion or ease infirmity. On the emotional side, think of how a good cry seems to cleanse our heart and mind. And bitter herbs are a part of the Passover celebration, reminding those who partake of their bondage to sin and need of a savior. 

Like the gifts of the Magi, detailed in the Christmas carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are,” this salad is rich with the joy of the season while also redolent of bitter perfume. The pale spears of endive leave a lingering acrid note in the wake of their clean crunch. Radicchio harbors sharp spicy tones in the soft folds of its streaky red pleats. Hints of fresh anise rise up from the crisp fennel stalks and tender fronds to wrap tart pomegranate arils in a nuanced sweetness. Walnuts and olive oil add a balmy warmth to the bittersweet medley. 

For me, this salad evokes a smile of recognition as well as a wistful reflection on our human condition. Celebration doesn’t require us to deny our situation. We are beautiful, though flawed; hopeful while remaining realistic. We celebrate the promise of ultimate healing while vigilant against the perils of our time.

Bitter and Sweet

Like many holidays, in our Christmas celebration there is a trace of bitterness and tears. We carry past hurts we hope to swallow, recognize current limitations we struggle against, and maintain a vigilant hope for the future we desire to protect. What we yearn for is a thoughtful balance, a depth of character alongside hope and joy. Though this salad might call to mind earthly bitterness and tears, it also celebrates our recognition of a Savior. The good news is – our Savior has come!  It is the very meaning of Christmas Day!

Indulge in this beautiful Endive, Fennel and Radicchio Salad. Acknowledge the bitter darkness of this passing season along with the joyful richness of what is yet to come. Swallow the revelation, and digest the truth now exposed. The bitterness is humbling, challenging, but, in the end, the birth of our Savior is sweet. We cannot go back to the beginning, but, having opened our eyes, we can go forward into the light. 

Fennel, Endive and Radicchio Salad with Pomegranate and Walnuts

Course: SaladCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Resting time

15

minutes

Total time

30

minutes

This pretty salad offers a bittersweet balance of crisp and soft, earthy and luscious, tangy and sweet in its thoughtful composition.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized fennel bulbs, with stalks and fronds

• 1 pound (about 4) Belgian endive

• 1 small head (10 ounces) radicchio

• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Clean fennel bulb, trimming any rough woody ends from stalks and any tough outer layer from the bulb. Halve lengthwise and cut out core. Set cut side down and thinly slice fennel bulb and tender stalks crosswise. Roughly chop the fronds and reserve 1/4 cup, lightly packed.
• Remove any wilted outer leaves from radicchio. Cut in half, remove the core and separate the leaves. Tear leaves into bite-sized pieces and soak in ice water 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and dry well.
• Trim off the bottom of each head of endive and separate the leaves.
• Whisk together oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Combine fennel bulb, endive and raddichio in a large bowl. Pour dressing over leaves and toss to coat. Turn leaves onto a large platter and arrange as desired.
• Scatter pomegranate seeds, walnuts and fennel fronds over leaves.

Notes

• Recipe Source: The December 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.
• For a bit more sweetness try adding a thinly sliced pear or matchstick cut apple to the salad leaves.