Seasonal Ontario Food

This is, alas, neither local nor particularly seasonal. However, it is one of the best salads I have ever devised, in my less-than-humble opinion, and I made it to go with a Christmas dinner that was otherwise pretty much on-track. I made Winter Tomato Soup, Scalloped Potatoes, and a Baked Bone-In Ham with Maple-Mustard Glaze, as well as steamed Brussels sprouts. I didn't get any photos of the ham, but it was good enough that I plan to make it again soon, and hopefully without the madness of a family Christmas in full swing it will be easier to photograph and post.

But back to this salad: I love the combinations of the sweet and the slightly bitter, the smooth and the crunchy, the bright greens and yellows with the red and purple. This is definitely one of those things too good not to make once in a while.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time

6 ounces baby spinach leaves
4 to 6 leaves of radicchio
8 to 12 small red radishes
1 small ripe mango
1 medium ripe avocado

the juice of 1 valencia orange
3 tablespoons hazelnut, walnut or almond oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

Wash the spinach, and dry it well. Put it in a salad bowl, or individual salad bowls if you prefer. Wash and dry the radicchio, and tear it into bite-sized pieces. Mix it in with the spinach.

Wash the radishes, slice them and sprinkle them over the top of the salad(s). Peel the mango and avocado, and slice them, and arrange them over the salad.

In a small bowl or jar, mix the orange juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salads.