There is a place for salad on the holiday table. With festive feasts that consist of meaty roasts, gooey casseroles and creamy mashes, a fresh and leafy salad is a welcome accompaniment to a celebratory meal. You could simply rely on a bowl of tossed seasonal greens as a go-to palate cleanser. Or, better yet, assemble a heftier salad, layered with sturdy greens and chicories, wintry vegetables and wholesome grains. Not only is it a vibrant and healthy bowl worthy of the season, but it’s a dish that will satisfy vegetarians and carnivores alike.

Each component of this autumnal salad brings flavor and texture to the bowl: crisp radicchio shards, peppery arugula leaves, protein-rich quinoa and sweet delicata squash. Delicata is a small oblong squash with an edible green and yellow striated skin, so there is no need to peel it. It cooks quickly, and roasting is an easy method that amplifies its sweet and creamy flavor. A rich, assertive balsamic vinaigrette coats the salad, which is then garnished with dried cranberries and pepitas.

Don’t let the separate components of this recipe deter you from making it. The dressing, quinoa and squash can be prepared in advance, and the salad can be easily assembled just before serving, which is ideal for entertaining or transporting to a potluck gathering.

Roasted Squash, Radicchio and Quinoa Salad

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour, plus cooling time

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Dressing:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 small garlic clove, grated

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:

1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed

Kosher salt

2 narrow delicata squash, about 1 1/2 pounds total

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large head radicchio, about 12 ounces

1 packed cup arugula, about 1 ounce

2 to 3 tablespoons dried cranberries

1 to 2 tablespoons pepitas

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, cumin, salt and black pepper. Add the oil in a steady stream, whisking to emulsify.

Put the quinoa in a small saucepan. Cover with 1 1/2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the quinoa seeds release their germ (a little white tail), 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the quinoa and transfer to a bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the dressing and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside to cool.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the squash crosswise in 1/3-inch-thick slices. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Arrange the squash rings on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Brush the rings on both sides with oil and lightly season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast until charred in spots and tender, about 25 minutes, flipping once. Remove from the oven and cool to lukewarm or room temperature.

Halve the radicchio and cut out the core with a paring knife. Cut each half into wedges. Tear the wedges into bite-size pieces.

Spread half of the quinoa in a serving bowl. Scatter the radicchio and arugula over the quinoa and lightly drizzle with some of the dressing. Arrange the squash rings over the salad. Spoon the remaining quinoa over and around the squash. Garnish with the cranberries and pepitas. Drizzle with the remaining dressing to your taste.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

German Apple Cake, or Versunkener Apfelkuchen (sunken apple cake), is an all-day cake that can be enjoyed with coffee, as a dessert or even for breakfast. It’s topped with sliced apples that are slightly submerged in the batter before baking. As the cake bakes, it will rise around the apples, creating a sunken effect.

This is a very simple cake, and the apples are the star of the show. Choose tart, firm baking apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn, which will hold their shape during baking and add a refreshing tartness to the sweet cake base.

Another important ingredient in this cake is almond paste. It’s a unique tweak that surprisingly doesn’t overwhelm the cake, but rather perfumes it with a hint of almond, lending moistness and dimension to its flavor. Note that almond paste is not marzipan. Almond paste has more almonds and less sugar than marzipan. It’s used in baked goods, while marzipan is a confection and often used for decoration. You can find almond paste in the baking aisle of well-stocked supermarkets.

This cake is adapted from a Milk Street recipe.

German Apple Cake

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour plus cooling time

Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

1 cup all-purpose flour or 1:1 gluten-free flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ounces almond paste (not marzipan), crumbled

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

2 to 3 medium Granny Smith or Braeburn apples, peeled and cored

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Powdered sugar for serving

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides of a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Place the almond paste in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed to break the almond paste into small pieces. Add the butter and mix until smooth (the mixture will be stiff) and continue to mix until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the 2/3 cup sugar and mix to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing to thoroughly incorporate before the next addition. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl and combine without overmixing.

Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Thinly slice the apples. Arrange the apple slices in the batter, slightly fanning the slices and gently pressing to slightly submerge. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Bake in the oven until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes clean with a few crumbs sticking, about 45 minutes. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then release the sides. Cool the cake to slightly warm or room temperature. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

The cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood

Are you Brussels sprouts-averse? This recipe may help. It takes the divisive earthy crucifer and greets it head-on with equally potent ingredients: kimchi, gochujang and yes, fish sauce.

Now, depending on how you feel about these fermented ingredients, you might consider this an abomination. However, I encourage you to shift your view and liken it to a double (or triple or quadruple) negative, where the sum of the “negatives” produces a positive. And if you happen to be a fan of these ingredients, then you can simply call this recipe a grand slam.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean condiment made from salted fermented vegetables. It often includes cabbage and seasonings including sugar, ginger, garlic and chiles. It’s also rich in nutrients and gut-healthy probiotics. Gochujang is a funky, spicy-sweet Korean mash of fermented soybeans, chiles and glutinous rice. And while fish sauce may sound frightening, a restrained splash is universally revered for the salty, umami depth of flavor it adds to a dish.

When these ingredients converge on Brussels sprouts, they respectively keep each other in check. Their assertiveness is muted, collectively taming any outrageous funkiness, without canceling each other out. You might say it’s an arrangement of mutual cooperation. I call it a cruciferous detente.

Kimchi Brussels Sprouts

Active time: 5 to 10 minutes

Total time: 25 to 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Sauce:

1 tablespoon gochujang

1/2 tablespoon unseasoned rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon runny honey

1/2 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, halved if large

2 teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt

1/2 cup drained kimchi (mild), finely chopped

Place a large cast-iron skillet in the oven and heat to 400 degrees.

Whisk the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Place the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl. Add the oil and lightly season with salt. Toss to coat.

Remove the skillet from the oven and spread the Brussels sprouts evenly in the skillet. Return to the oven and roast until the sprouts are tender and charred in spots, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on their size, shaking the pan once or twice.

Remove the skillet from the oven. Immediately add the sauce to the skillet and stir to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 10 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the kimchi. (By avoiding the heat of the skillet, the healthy bacteria in the kimchi will be preserved.) Serve warm.

581-7500

CAPTIONS AND CREDITS

Caption 01: Photo by Lynda Balslev for TasteFood