My Goals
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Slightly wilted greens
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Hearty entrée salad
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Complex flavors
Spinach is the typical choice for tossing with a warm vinaigrette, but there are plenty of other contenders. I wanted to build a satisfying main-course wilted-green salad featuring a few lettuces that don’t get as much attention: frisée, the curly star of French bistro salad; ruffled escarole; and frilly chicory. I hoped that each (or a combination thereof) would soften under a hot dressing and be a unique, robust canvas for all sorts of bold, flavorful ingredients.
When drizzling a hot vinaigrette over the greens wasn’t enough to wilt them, I wondered if I could take the unorthodox step of warming the greens with the dressing. But I needed a vessel big enough for 10 cups of greens. That’s when I pulled out my roomy Dutch oven. I warmed the dressing in the pot, but by the time I had tossed in all the greens, some leaves were not just wilted but cooked. I had a better idea: Warm up the pot by sautéing at least one mix-in (such as carrots or fennel), let it cool briefly, and then add the greens off the heat. After a few turns of my tongs, the greens had just the right slightly softened texture.

All that was left was to incorporate other ingredients with contrasting yet complementary tastes and textures: nuts for crunch, cheese for fat and salt, and fruit for sweetness, all tied together with a tangy mustard vinaigrette.
Keys to Success
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Slightly wilted greens
A preheated Dutch oven is large enough to accommodate the raw greens and retains heat well enough to wilt the greens without actually cooking them. -
Hearty entrée salad
Meats, cheeses, nuts, and beans add protein so that any of these salads can satisfy as a complete meal. -
Complex flavors
Combinations of sweet and salty, chewy and crunchy, and soft and crispy ingredients perfectly complement these bold bitter greens.