Pomegranate, Pear and Bitter Greens with Maytag Blue Cheese

When you’re just so over kale: here’s the perfect, simple holiday salad to start your festive meal. I used lighter, zestier winter greens—radicchio and arugula—for a bright flavor and lovely color. The walnut oil in the vinaigrette adds volumes of flavor, with zero effort; hazelnut oil works beautifully as well. If seeding pomegranates frightens you, you can buy the seeds in the refrigerated section of most produce markets; or look for them in the frozen section (but be warned the texture will suffer mightily). To take it up a notch, you can lightly caramelize or roast the pears to intensify their natural sweetness, and toss in some candied pecans. Or leave it light and simple: start to finish, you can bang this out in 5 minutes flat, and still look special when you tote it to a potluck.

Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons champagne or white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons walnut oil
1 small head radicchio, torn into bite-sized pieces
6 cups baby arugula leaves or coarsely chopped arugula
1 large fennel bulb, thinly shaved crosswise
1 small red onion, sliced into thin half moons
1 medium pomegranate
4 ounces Maytag or other blue cheese
Toasted walnuts (optional)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, shallots, mustard, olive oil and walnut oil. Add radicchio, arugula, fennel and onion, and toss  gently to lightly coat leaves with dressing.
2. To seed the pomegranate: cut off the blossom end (the part that sticks out), then quarter the fruit. Hold each section over a bowl and bend the peel backwards; using your hands, tumble the seeds out into the bowl, leaving the white pith behind (it’s very bitter).
3. Add pomegranate seeds and blue cheese to bowl, and gently toss to mix. Scatter walnuts on top. Serve immediately.