Straight from the Earth

MIXED CHICORY SALAD with AVOCADO, GARLIC CROUTONS, and PINE NUTS

My husband often says he doesn’t have enough chicory in his life, so in his honor, I created this salad featuring chicory’s white color and crisp appeal. He calls it my “European bistro salad” and we enjoy it whenever we’re lucky enough to find beautiful, well-blanched heads of escarole (ones with lots of white leaves in the center) or frisée at the market. The red wine vinaigrette has a strong Dijon mustard flavor to complement the slightly bitter greens. It goes especially well with the buttery pine nuts and croutons, which contribute a pleasing crunch to the dish. Slices of creamy avocado add a mellow note and a luscious soft texture to this delicious salad. —MYRA

Serves 4

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE

¹/₄ cup plus 2 tbsp/90 ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp crushed garlic

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

SALAD

2 heads Belgian endive (about 4 oz/115 g each)

1 large head chicory (such as escarole or frisée)

1 head Treviso radicchio, sliced into bite-size pieces

1 large ripe avocado, thinly sliced

¹/₄ cup/30 g pine nuts, toasted (see page 117)

1 cup/60 g Quick Garlic Croutons (facing page)

To make the vinaigrette: Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, and garlic in a small jar. Seal the lid tightly and shake vigorously to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper and set aside at room temperature.

To make the salad: Trim the bottom ends of the endive and remove any damaged outer leaves. Cut the endive crosswise into ¹/₄-in-/6-mm-thick slices, discarding any of the solid cores. You should have about 2 cups/200 g. Cut the bottom end off the chicory and remove the tough, dark green outer leaves. Frisée leaves can generally be left whole. Escarole leaves should be cut into bite-size pieces, about 1-in/2.5 cm wide. You should have about 3 cups/90 g of chicory.

In a large bowl, combine the endive, radicchio, and chicory and toss with half of the vinaigrette. Add more dressing as desired. Divide the greens among four plates, and top each salad with 4 or 5 avocado slices, 1 tbsp of pine nuts, and ¹/₄ cup/15 g of croutons. Serve immediately.