Insalata Mista

Just a few weeks ago, I was writing about how the new year reminds us of cycles by placing us at the flashpoint of one: a year starting and a year completing, even as time proceeds. Six weeks into 2010, it seems as if we've reached our first culmination. This was a long weekend for many of us, time to catch up on everything from sleep to laundry to reading. The four-year cycle of the Winter Olympics began, amid great style and sadness. For shoppers, scholars and patriots, this was President's Day weekend. It was also Valentine's Day, the start of the Year of the Tiger, and time for the Westminster Dog Show. Today we welcome Mardi Gras.

Last week New York City was hit by our most serious snow since December. Almost everyone stayed in on the day of the heaviest snowfall, though intrepid souls did step out to go sledding and skiing -- and, equally intrepid, to report on snow day activities for those of us who were staying inside. By the weekend, temperatures were up and the sun was shining, while today wet snowflakes are reminding us of fickle March on the ascendant. Winter has not fully relaxed its icy grip, but the sleepy heads of crocus are awakening under patches of ice.

Merchants welcomed the last-minute run on heart-shaped candy boxes because it cleared the shelves for those no-fail consumerist signs of spring: Easter baskets. A warming weekend vibe was borne out in the local homewares store, where the proprietor was unpacking a new shipment of Japanese ceramics (I bought a vase in gray-black) and setting out citrus-scented candles. At the grocer's, I noticed that the first strawberries have appeared, and at the butcher's, that the sign is up to order your spring lamb.

Insalata mista is a perfect dish to celebrate the tentative first tendrils of spring. In this simple mixed salad, whose name and style come from Italian cooking, the freshest greens are combined with your selection of the freshest new vegetables, and tossed with a simple but assertive vinaigrette. It is a lovely compliment to a light supper -- perhaps Parmesan-crusted chicken cutlets and capellini, or penne all vodka. For a romantic dinner, serve this salad as a first course with a clean Pinot Grigio. And if, while you're choosing fresh vegetables for the salad, you can't resist a pint of those strawberries, serve them with a dish of balsamic vinegar sprinkled with fresh rosemary.

INSALATA MISTA
At the grocer's (or from your own cold frame), choose the freshest greens by looking for a vibrant, lively quality to the leaves, without their having any yellow or brown spots. Varieties of greens are usually well-identified, but if you're unsure, the greengrocer can help you. Bypass the prepared greens in bags or clamshells; it's really not that much trouble to prepare your own greens, and the result will be worth that small effort. Use your own judgement regarding what vegetables to add to the salad; I've included those I usually use, but whatever is fresh and appealing would work; perhaps carrots or button mushrooms.

For the salad
1 small head red-leaf lettuce
1 head Boston lettuce
1 bunch arugula
1 small radicchio
1 small endive
1 small red onion
1 small red or yellow bell pepper
1 small cucumber
1 small container cherry tomatoes

For the dressing
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Dried oregano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Pull or cut the leaves of the arugula from the sandy roots; discard the roots. Rinse the leaves under cool running water until they no longer feel gritty; set on several layers of paper towels to dry.

2. Pull the outer leaves from the red-leaf and Boston lettuces; tear larger leaves into smaller pieces. Place in a colander or the reservoir of a salad spinner. Pull the soft inner leaves from between the ribs of both lettuces, taking care to avoid the ribs and stopping when you reach the harder inner core. Place in the colander/salad spinner with the outer leaves. Rinse with cool water.

3. Set the radicchio core side down on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to slice down vertically, halving the radicchio. Use the knife to remove the core from the bottom of one of the halves; set the other half aside for another use. Use the knife to cut the cored half in half, and then to cut each quarter into spears. Place in the colander/salad spinner with the Boston and red leaves.

4. Lay the endive on the cutting board and cut across the spear and down the board to form rings. Remove the tough inner core from each ring. Place in the colander/salad spinner with the outer leaves.

5. Dry the cleaned arugula and place in the colander/salad spinner with the outer leaves.

6. Toss or spin the lettuces free of excess water; lightly tossing with your hands to combine all of the lettuces.

7. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents and set two of the crescents aside for another use. Cut across the remaining crescents to form dice.

8. Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to scrape away the pith and seeds. Cut each half into strips and cut across the strips to form dice.

9. Cut the pepper in half from cap to bottom. Cut away and discard the stem; cut away any pithy white from inside each half. Rinse each half under cool water to remove the seeds; if saving seeds for planting, do this step over a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds. Cut off the rounded top and bottom of each half and set aside. Flatten the remaining pepper, skin side down, against the cutting board. Cut each flattened half into strips and cut across the strips to form dice.

10. Pick through the cherry tomatoes, discarding any that are soft or discolored. Rinse the remaining cherry tomatoes under cool water and cut each in half.

11. Assemble the salad by layering a handful of greens with a sprinkling of onion, cucumber, pepper and tomatoes, continuing until you have filled the salad bowl and saving a layer of colorful vegetables for the top.

12. Before serving, combine the vinegars, lemon juice, salt, several grindings of fresh black pepper, and a sprinkling of dried oregano in a bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle the olive oil into the acid mixture until a smooth emulsion forms.

13. Serve the salad with the dressing on the side.