2009_02_18-Salad.jpgI don't stop eating salad just because it's winter. In fact, I look forward to winter salads. No wilting, delicate lettuces here; no tender baby vegetables to be coddled with understated vinaigrettes. Winter salads are bold, crunchy and definitive, with dressings to match. Zesty citrus vingars, strong nut oils, old-fashioned olive oils -- they all come out to play in my winter salads, along with the robust crunch of cabbage, fennel, and bitter greens.

Take this salad, for instance. It's a riff on any number of winter salads here at The Kitchn (you can see 11 more winter salads here), but it has a slight bent all its own. I used some Meyer lemons for their zest and juice, working their herbal flavor infuse the vegetables and the dressing.

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Fresh Fennel and Lemon Slaw

serves 6, at least

1 large bulb fennel
1/2 head green cabbage
1 head red radicchio
2 lemons (preferably Meyer lemon)
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

Finely chop the fronds of the fennel bulb. Thinly slice the stalks and bulb with a mandoline (or finely chop with a chef's knife). Do the same with the cabbage and radicchio, and toss all the vegetables together. Zest the Meyer lemons and toss with the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together, taste, and adjust. Toss with salad and refrigerate for an hour before serving.

More Coleslaw:
• Recipe Roundup: Carrot Slaw
• San Francisco Farmer's Market Recipe: Kohlrabi Slaw
• Recipe: Cabbage Beet Coleslaw
• Vote: How Do You Like Your Coleslaw?

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