A winter dinner menu that brings the sunshine

By David Tanis, The New York Times

It’s always a bit of a thrill delving into cold-weather ingredients, as easy to love as warm-weather ones, and in some ways even more satisfying.

Radicchio and other chicories like ruby Treviso, speckled Castelfranco and pale green curly endive are best grown at cool temperatures. Their slight bitterness pairs and plays well with winter fruit, like pears, apples, persimmons and pomegranates, in a luxurious winter salad.

Walnuts, hazelnuts and pecans are welcome in a dish like this. Nut oils contribute a particular aroma and deep flavor that other oils can’t. I recommend keeping a small bottle of walnut oil in the refrigerator, at the ready for winter vinaigrettes. Sweeter vinegars, such as sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar or Banyuls vinegar can join, too. A bit of honey stirred in can be a nice counterpoint, or sometimes just a thin drizzle of honey over the dressed salad is appropriate.

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