Top: Mixed greens with apples and pecans.
Second: Shaved Brussels sprouts,
watermelon radishes on greens, topped with
feta from Good Eggs. Third: Edamame, diced
red bell pepper and black beans top greens
at Betty Crocker. Bottom: Thai celery salad
with sliced hot chiles and peanuts. Photo
courtesy Bon Appetit.

These were not free salads; they were overpriced sides. When we mentioned our disappointment to the servers, both mentioned the “limited selection” in winter.

Limited choices, NO. Lack of imagination or sheer laziness, YES.

There’s just as much opportunity to pack green salads with color and texture as any other time of the year.

It’s just as easy to balance the flavors and textures with something bright-colored, something crunchy, something tangy, something peppery and something sweet.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to sprinkle with colorful, crunchy pomegranate seeds or some mandarin segments.

And it doesn’t have to cost more: Use pricier ingredients sparingly and they’ll still add interest.

Here’s how to add interest to winter salads while Mother Nature is taking a nap.

 
START HERE TO BUILD YOUR WINTER SALAD

Pick something from each group, and no one will find your salads boring.

Salad Greens: Beyond Everyday Lettuce

 
Other Vegetables

You don’t have to add fruit to every green salad, although most people will enjoy the touch of sweetness.

Diced, sliced or segmented, you’ve got great choices:

 
Garnishes

 
Plus A Touch Of…

 
For The Dressing

We’re fans of vinaigrettes rather than heavier dressings (although we do have a weakness for a great blue cheese dressing).

Vinaigrettes are lighter, lower in calories (in that you use less), and most importantly, offer so much variety in terms of which oils and which vinegars you use.

Top: Quinoa, arugula, red onion and sundried tomato at California Pizza Kitchen. Second: Mesclun and burrata atop beets, garnished with cherry tomatoes and a jumbo garlic crouton, at Duplex On Third. Third: Spinach salad with apples, beets and sliced almonds from Butterball.

 
These options should keep you busy…until the spring veggies arrive, and beyond.
 
  

Top: Be sure that herbs are absolutely dry
before you chop them. Photo courtesy
Williams-Sonoma. Bottom: Remove the
woody stems but keep the green portions.
Photo of cilantro courtesy Good Eggs | San
Francisco.

The emphasis is on fresh. While dried herb are a fine stand-by, they don’t deliver the same flavor—and the flavor fades as they age. First…

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HERBS & SPICES

These two terms are often used interchangeably, but that’s inaccurate. There are important differences.

 
It’s possible for one plant to contain both herb and spice. For example:

 
SWEET & SAVORY HERBS

Most herbs can be used in savory dishes. Think dill, garlic, thyme, oregano, parsley. In addition, there are the so-called sweet herbs, that can be used in both savory and sweet dishes:

Here’s what you should know before you grab a sharp chef’s knife and the cutting board:

1. Be sure the washed herbs are fully dry.

If they’re just a bit damp, they’ll get mushy when you chop them.

 
Next up: Different herbs require different chopping techniques.

2. Herbs with edible stems.

When you throw away the slender stems of herbs like cilantro, dill and parsley, you’re throwing away money. They are just as edible as the leaves.

 
3. Herbs with big leaves and woody stems.

You don’t need an herb keeper. To make fresh herbs last longer, use a water glass instead. Add the herbs and cover the glass with a plastic bag.

 
3. Herbs with small leaves and woody stems.

This group includes oregano, rosemary, tarragon and thyme. The leaves need to be stripped from the stems, but the stems are too woody to use.

 
4. Chopping or mincing chives.

Chives, long and stem-free, are in their own category.

HOW TO STORE FRESH HERBS

You don’t need an “herb keeper” to store herbs. Simply fill a tall glass with a few inches of fresh water, insert the herbs and cover with a plastic produce bag.

It’s that easy!

We wondered if Executive Chef Cenobio Canalizo would give us some advice on the most important considerations when buying steaks and roasts to cook at home. It’s a big expense, and we want to spend our money wisely.

He kindly provided us with these…
 
6 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BUTCHER WHEN BUYING FINE BEEF

1. Is it wet aged or dry aged?

Dry-aged beef has a roasted, nutty flavor, while wet-aged beef can taste slightly metallic. Wet-aged beef lacks the depth of flavor of dry-aged, but it can be more tender.

Chef Canalizo says most chefs will agree that dry-aged has the preferred flavor; it’s also more expensive.

In wet aging, the muscle (beef) rests in a plastic bag in a refrigerated room. With dry-aged, it hangs to age in the air. When you see the word “aged” followed by a given amount of time, and there is no reference to wet or dry, you can safely assume that it is wet-aged beef.
 
2. How long was the beef aged?

Chef Canalizo prefers 21 days of aging. Longer is not always better, he advises. Aging actually causes the meat to decay (a tenderizing process). With too much aging, beef can develop a moldy smell and taste.

All beef needs at least 3 weeks to start to tenderize. Naturally raised beef needs more than 6 weeks because the animals are more mature when they are processed. The reason most supermarket beef is tougher is because it is not sufficiently aged. (Aging = time = more expense.)
 
3. Is it corn-fed or grass-fed beef?

What a steer eats can have a major effect on the nutrient composition of the beef. Grass-fed beef usually contains less total fat than grain-fed beef. Thus, gram for gram, grass-fed beef contains fewer calories.

According to AuthorityNutrition.com, while grass-fed beef may contain slightly less total fat than grain-fed beef, equally valuable is that it contains a lot more Omega-3 fatty acids and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), another fatty acid. Both are very beneficial nutrients.

Chef Canalizo recommends leaving a quarter inch of fat on top of the steak for flavor.

Many people choose cuts with less fat and less marbling. Marbling is the intermingling or dispersion of fat within the lean, and is a prized feature (that’s why Kobe and Wagyu are the most prized beef in the world).

The fat adds flavor and helps to tenderize the meat. Also, much of it is “cooked out” before the beef is served.
 
5. How many ounces is it with the bone?

Chef Canalizo recommends 14 ounces (bone included) per guest. You should request cuts that are closest to the bone. The meat is sweeter and there’s more flavor.

From top down, the grades of beef are USDA Prime, USDA Choice and USDA Select. Additional grades, not available for consumer purchase, are Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. These latter grades are used in anything from canned chili to pet food.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a quality grade is a composite evaluation of factors that affect palatability of meat (tenderness, juiciness and flavor).

These factors include carcass maturity, firmness, texture and color of the lean, and the amount and distribution of marbling within the lean.

Beef is graded in two ways: quality grades for tenderness, juiciness and flavor; and yield grades for the amount of usable lean meat on the carcass.

While only the quality grade is important to you as the buyer, you should note that in the yield grade, only 3% of all beef produced in the U.S. is USDA Prime. It’s sold only at top butcher shops and top steak restaurants like Michael Jordan’s.

If you’re not going for USDA Prime, be sure you’re getting USDA Choice, not USDA Select.