Award-winning chef Bradley Ogden presents his first cookbook in over a decade. Holiday Dinners with Bradley Ogden (Running Press, 2011) includes 150 cherished recipes for a range of winter holidays — Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s — in one delicious guide for making the most memorable meals for the most special occasions. The winter vegetable salad recipe excerpted below comes from the section “Christmas Dinner.”
Winter Vegetable Salad Recipe
Colorful and sweet root vegetables, earthy mushrooms, and fragrant herbs will make everyone want to eat their vegetables.
Makes 4 servings
8 pearl onions, peeled
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
8 baby carrots
4 baby parsnips, peeled
12 baby asparagus spears
4 baby red beets
8 baby golden beets
10 ounces shiitakes, chanterelles, morels, or cremini mushrooms, stems discarded, wiped clean, and sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon)
1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 cup baby arugula, for garnish
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400°F. Fill a large bowl with ice water.
In a small roasting pan or baking dish, toss the onions with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add 4 tablespoons of water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes; set aside.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the carrots, return to a boil, and cook until the carrots are bright orange and crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon and immediately transfer them to the ice bath. When the carrots have cooled to room temperature, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Repeat with this process with the parsnips, asparagus, and beets. Use a paper towel to rub off the skin from the beets; then cut into quarters and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet until thin wisps of smoke appear; add the mushrooms, cook for 1 minute; add the garlic and onion; cook for 1 minute longer. Add the stock and sherry vinegar; simmer until the mixture has thickened and lightly coats the back of a spoon. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the pearl onions, cooked vegetables, parsley, tarragon, and arugula; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Learn about chef Bradley Ogden’s passion  for holiday dinners in Holiday Dinners: A Cooking Philosophy.
Recipes reprinted with permission from Holiday Dinners with Bradley Ogden © 2011 by Bradley Ogden, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Book Group.Buy this book from our store:Â Holiday Dinners with Bradley Ogden.
