Quick Comfort with Winter Salads and Georgia Pecans

Traditional winter cooking often takes as much as it gives. The season’s soups and stews, casseroles and chowders are undeniably comforting to eat, but they’re also demanding to prepare. Ingredients must be peeled and chopped, sautéed and then simmered. For busy cooks who need a quicker fix, modern winter cuisine has the answer: hearty winter salads with Georgia pecans.

The best salads are made by combining seasonal fruit and vegetables with popular year-round staples such as Georgia pecans. The richness of pecans adds a meaty quality to winter salads that cold weather appetites demand and they are far from the simple leafy fluff that often constitutes a summer salad.

Salad making, like the rest of contemporary home cooking, continues to ride on at least four strong trends: desire for recipes that are quick; meals that are healthy; cooking that is more global in flavoring; and dishes that are less meat-centered in composition.

Mango, Red Onion, and Toasted Pecan Salad with French Olives is quick to make, yet sophisticated and especially satisfying because pecans add body to every bite. This vibrant mixture of golden mangoes, purple-red onion, green olives, and deep amber pecans brings color to the landscape of winter tables. Best of all, this salad mixture requires no real cooking, except for a quick toasting of the pecans to give them a rich snap and roasty flavor.

The impulse to blend other types of fruit is worth indulging. In a Red Cabbage, Apple, and Pecan Salad with Camembert, the tender-crisp cabbage, quickly sautéed with sweet onions and a splash of sherry vinegar becomes a rosy bed for the fruit-pecan-and-cheese trio. Pecan flavor and texture bridge the divide between salty and savory, creamy and crisp. Spinach Salad with Orange, Pecans, and Pancetta unites the light acidic flavor of fruit with more grounded ingredients such as spinach and pork. The result is a substantial salad that could easily be a one-dish meal.

Robust winter salads are also inherently nutritious, providing, of course, they’re not doused in dressing. In Mixed Greens with Curried Cauliflower, Chives, and Pecans, a light drizzle of vinaigrette is all that’s needed to moisten and add a bit of tangy balance to the assertive flavors of curry, onion and nutty pecans.

With a handful of pecans on the plate, healthful eating is easy. Crunchy pecans have just 9 grams of carbohydrate per 1/2 cup serving, and also supply protein and concentrated energy without adding dangerous fats. Studies show that the major types of fat found in pecans can help prevent heart disease by lowering levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. Moreover, this heart-smart nut provides significant amounts of the antioxidant, Vitamin E.

During the long, chilly months of winter when body immune systems are most vulnerable, healthy foods such as Georgia pecans are more valuable than ever. To keep a stocked fresh-tasting supply on hand, Buddy Leger, chairman of the Georgia Pecan Commission recommends that shelled pecans be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to nine months or kept frozen in zipper-lock freezer bags for as long as two years. Pecans are perishable, but they can be enjoyed during any season if properly stored.

The State of Georgia is historically the largest pecan producing state in the U.S. Since Georgia’s pecan harvest is mid-October through December, the Southern nuts are at their freshest during the winter months.

For recipes and information on pecans, visit www.georgiapecans.org.

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Side Bar:

Toasting Pecans

Pecans can be toasted in a 300°F oven for 8 to 12 minutes (depending on size of pecans) or in a skillet over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly darkened and fragrant. Either way, be sure to stir the nuts occasionally so that they color evenly.

Source: Georgia Pecan Commission

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Side Bar:

Salad Savvy with Georgia Pecans

• Pecans are best added to salads just before serving, to make sure their crunchy texture is at its best.
• For flavor variations, pecans can be toasted with a light coating of olive oil, spices, and salt or sugar. Chili powder, cumin, or cinnamon are tasty options.
• Borrow some salad presentation tricks from chefs, including the use of a plastic squeeze bottle to apply stripes or dots of dressings.
• Chefs also use lightly oiled metal rings (made from empty clean cans with tops and bottoms removed) to stack salad ingredients on serving plates. Simply pull off the ring and you have a salad “tower.”
• Pecan halves make an elegant garnish for salads. Chopped they give a more informal style.
• Salads no longer need to be served in bowls. Try some interesting square, rectangular, or oversized plates to add drama.
• When creating winter salads, don’t succumb to the “kitchen sink syndrome” of putting too much together at once. The goal is for a few items to stand out, while texture, color, and acidity is balanced. Toasted pecans are always a useful crunchy component.
• Use good olive oil and vinegar. They needn’t be expensive, but don’t risk defeating an otherwise grand salad with a poor dressing.
• Classic luncheon salads such tuna, chicken, shrimp, or egg are dependably good, but not very interesting. Add a handful of toasted chopped pecans to jazz them up.

Source: Georgia Pecan Commission

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WINTER SALAD RECIPES
FROM
THE GEORGIA PECAN COMMISSION

Warm Red Cabbage Salad with Apples, Georgia Pecans, and Camembert

For a winter variation, ripe green pears can be substituted for the apples in this recipe.

Serves 4
2/3 cup Georgia pecan halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 sweet onion (Vidalia), halved and thinly sliced
4 cups finely sliced red cabbage
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
8 ounces cold Camembert cheese
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into very thin sticks

1. In large skillet over medium heat, toast pecan halves until slightly darkened and fragrant—about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat oil in skillet; add onion and cook until just beginning to soften. Increase heat to high and add cabbage, sugar and salt. Drizzle in sherry vinegar and cook, stirring constantly, until sherry reduces and cabbage is tender-crisp. Remove from heat.
3. Reserve 4 pecan halves for garnish; chop remaining pecans and add to cabbage mixture.
4. To serve, slice cheese into very thin wedges and arrange pieces, fanning them out, on each of 4 serving plates. Top with warm cabbage and pecan mixture. Arrange apple pieces on top and serve.

Nutrition information per serving—calories: 393; protein: 14g; carbs: 21g; saturated fat: 10g; monounsaturated fat: 14g; polyunsaturated fat: 3g; cholesterol: 40mg; fiber: 4g; sodium: 625.

Source: Georgia Pecan Commission


 

Mango, Red Onion, and Toasted Georgia Pecan Salad with French Olives

Imported tropical fruits such as mangoes and kiwis are good winter staples. Be sure they’re a little soft to the touch, indicating the fruit is ripe and sweet.

Serves 4
4 ripe mangoes
1 small red onion
1/2 cup Picholine olives (or other green oil-cured variety), pitted and finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups tender salad greens
2/3 cup Georgia pecan halves, toasted and chopped
2 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil

1. Cut each mango lengthwise on either side of the large pit to create two halves. Score the mango flesh of each half vertically and horizontally to create bite-sized cubes; cut cubes away from skin and combine with olive pieces in bowl. Season with black pepper and toss.

2. Slice onion into paper-thin rings. Arrange onion rings on one side of each serving plate, nestle salad greens next to onion. Top onion with mango mixture and pecans. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Nutrition information per serving—calories: 343; protein: 4g; carbs: 42g; saturated fat: 2g; monounsaturated fat: 13g; polyunsaturated fat: 3g; cholesterol: 0; fiber: 6g; sodium: 241mg.

Source: Georgia Pecan Commission


 

Mixed Greens with Curried Cauliflower, Chives, and Georgia Pecans

The curry seasoning here is quite mild. If you prefer a bolder taste, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of the curry powder.

Serves 4
3 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups cauliflowerets
6 cups mixed greens
3/4 cup toasted Georgia pecan halves
1 plum tomato, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped chives or green onion
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons prepared vinaigrette

1. Combine water, curry powder, salt, and turmeric; heat to boiling. Add cauliflowerets, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Drain and cool to room temperature.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine salad greens, pecans, tomato, and chives. Toss with 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Divide salad mixture among serving plates. Toss cauliflower with remaining 2 tablespoons vinaigrette, and arrange on top of each salad. Serve.

Nutrition information per serving—calories: 299; protein: 5g; carbs: 18g; saturated fat: 2g; monounsaturated fat: 11g; polyunsaturated fat: 9g; cholesterol: 0; fiber: 6g; sodium: 464mg.

Source: Georgia Pecan Commission


 

Spinach Salad with Oranges, Georgia Pecans, and Pancetta

Tender baby spinach leaves, available pre-washed and packaged in supermarket produce sections, are the best choice for this salad. Mature raw spinach is a bit too tough.

Serves 4
3 seedless oranges
6 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup toasted Georgia pecan halves, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup chopped pancetta (or smoked pork loin)
1/2 cup prepared balsamic vinaigrette

1. Peel oranges and trim away white pith; divide into sections. Reserve 20 sections for garnish. Coarsely chop remaining sections.
2. Combine spinach, pecans, and the chopped orange in a large bowl and reserve.
3. Over high heat, brown pork pieces on all sides. Add to spinach mixture. Add vinaigrette to hot skillet just to warm—about half a minute—then pour over spinach and toss well. Divide among plates and garnish with orange sections and pecan halves.

Nutrition information per serving—calories: 353; protein: 9; carbs: 20g; saturated fat: 4g; monounsaturated fat: 11g; polyunsaturated fat: 11g; cholesterol: 12mg; fiber: 5g; sodium: 524mg.

Source: Georgia Pecan Commission

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