We’re getting ready to eat one of the richest meals of the year. The Thanksgiving table is filled with several dishes, many of them rich, and all of them competing for our taste buds' attention. Ingredients for a palate-cleansing salad are convenient to have at hand when you’re tackling or finally done with the leftovers. When I think of this kind of salad, it’s unburdened with rich cheeses, other protein additions, or sweet inclusions like dried cranberries. I want one with a lot of fresh crunch.
So much of what we eat on Thanksgiving has a soft texture. A bit of crunch mixed with a nice acidic dressing will be a welcome relief. Produce items to consider: Belgian endive with its slight bitter crunch; apple varieties like honeycrisp and pink lady; Asian pears, jicama, and fuyu persimmons all have a crisp texture with flavors that play well together; cucumbers add crunch as well as moisture. Other great additions are thinly sliced green or red cabbage, sliced celery, peeled and thinly sliced turnips, and fennel.
You can go ahead and create salads by combining three or more of these ingredients, or you can bulk it up with fresh, crisp romaine. If you like forward flavors, add arugula or watercress, which add peppery zing.
Be aware of how a vegetable’s shape affects the crunch in our mouths. For example, diced fennel or turnips will feel different in the mouth than batons or thinner slices. Go too thin, and you mute the crunch. Do a half-inch dice of an apple, and you’ll have a very satisfying chew. So think of combining not just varieties of vegetables, but shapes and sizes for the most satisfying salad. And if you want a spoon salad, cut everything the same size of small dice.
For the dressing, I would veer towards an olive oil-based vinaigrette with red or white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice for this vinaigrette. If you must have some richness do it, add in the dressing a few tablespoons of grated parmigiano reggiano or a good blue cheese. And if you need a bit of sweetness, then a balsamic mustard vinaigrette is just right.
And one more thing. This time about your leftovers. Remember that they don’t stay safe to eat forever. If you still have leftovers the second day after Thanksgiving, it’s time to freeze what you won’t eat on Saturday. Don’t let the turkey hang around so long that you end up throwing it away. Knowing there’s a bit of it in the freezer is good for last-minute curries, tacos, or salads.
