Rainbow Chopped Salad - A Salad for All Seasons

I first enjoyed this salad at a get together during the winter of 2010.  A good friend had brought it to share and I don't know what has taken me so long to make it myself!  I needed a salad that would work well with fish to bring to dinner at my daughter's home recently, so I went through the salad recipes I had saved on my computer and found it again.  The original recipe also calls for pomegranate seeds and blue cheese which would be wonderful during the winter or with a heavier meal also. That's why I called this a salad for all seasons. 

Rainbow Chopped Salad

Loosely Adapted from Epicurious
Printable Recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Dressing:

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I found a delicious Blackberry-Ginger balsamic at a specialty store)
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup walnut oil

Whisk vinegars, shallot, and honey in small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Salad:

6 cups chopped organic romaine hearts
4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 large, organic Fuji apple, halved, cored, diced
1-2 large, organic Bartlett pears, halved, cored, diced
1 mango, peeled, diced
3/4 cup Spicy Toasted Pecans (Recipe Below)

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

Combine romaine, cabbage, apple, pear, mango and pecans (and pomegranate seeds, if using) in a very large bowl; toss to blend. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among plates. Sprinkle with blue cheese, if desired, and serve.

Spicy Toasted Pecans
Gourmet | December 2004

Makes 2 1/2 cups

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco  (I used a little more)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
2 1/2 cups pecan halves (10 oz)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat, then stir in Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, pepper, and salt. Remove pan from heat and add pecans, tossing to coat well. Spread in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan and bake until fragrant and a shade darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Pecans can be baked 1 day ahead and stored at room temp.