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OxfordPress.com

Watercress salad with cranberries and pecans

Thanksgiving dinner can just be for friends — or a major event that feeds 20 people. This salad I've been fixing since 1997 does that with style. The recipe was in Food & Wine magazine.

Makes 20 servings

1 cup pecan halves

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 bunches watercress

3 fennel bulbs

3 small heads radicchio

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the pecans in one layer on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine the cranberries, vinegars, garlic and salt. Whisk in the olive oil. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.

Rinse and dry the watercress. Pull off large stems and discard them. Trim the fennel and slice thinly, lengthwise, into shreds. Core the radicchio heads and tear into bite-size pieces. Combine the watercress leaves, fennel and radicchio; cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a large salad bowl toss the salad greens with the toasted pecans. Whisk the cranberry vinaigrette and pour over the salad. Toss well.