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February is one of my favourite months for making and eating salads. There is no better time for the bitter lettuce varieties, also known as winter lettuces, that I particularly enjoy. They are at their peak.

The group includes the robustly flavoured radicchio family, including Treviso and Tardivo, Belgian endive and its curly cousin frisée, and escarole. These are all hardy lettuces that both travel and keep well. Watercress, another great green, is generally better in the colder months, too.

By happy coincidence, this is also the season for blood oranges (look for the ones of Sicilian origin), Fuyu persimmons, Meyer lemons and fennel, which all have an element of sweetness that works wonderfully as a foil to the pleasant sweet-sharp bitterness of the lettuces.

Delicious salads bursting with colours and textures can be achieved by mixing a few well-chosen flavours - with relatively little effort.

Just remember to use care when preparing your ingredients: Carefully picked salad will show well on the plate, as will neatly shaved fennel; a well-cut citrus segment is always easy on the eye.

But why stop there? Blue cheeses such as Stilton, Gorgonzola or Roquefort work well, too, as do hard, somewhat salty varieties including Parmesan, Manchego and Pecorino.

Freshly shelled nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and the like make great seasonal additions, particularly if nut oil is used in the dressing.

When rinsing salad leaves, the water should be cold and plentiful. Keep the rinsing process brief and then gently spin the salad to remove excess water. At this stage, it can be placed in plastic bags and refrigerated until required.

As for timing, I like to serve these types of salads well chilled and crisp, dressing them just prior to presenting. If using citrus as the acid in vinaigrette, mix the juice and the oil together immediately before dressing the leaves.

Simple Winter Salad

Ingredients

1 head Tardivo or Treviso radicchio

2 bunches living watercress

2 heads blond frisée (greener parts trimmed and discarded)

2 Belgian endives

½ bulb fennel, quartered (outer layers removed)

Juice of two lemons

Sea salt

Dijon mustard

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Large chunk Parmesan cheese

Method

Trim and cut the lettuce as you wish, and place in a large amount of cold water. Using a mandolin, shave in the fennel and turn the salad over several times to rinse it well. Using your hands as a sieve, lift the leaves out of the water and drain briefly in a colander before spinning gently in a salad spinner. If not using immediately, place in plastic bags and refrigerate.

Make the dressing just before serving. I give no exact measurements for the vinaigrette as it really is a matter of personal taste. A standard starting point would be four parts oil to one part acid, but this is only a guide and will depend on the type and quality of the oil being used.

Place lemon juice in a bowl. Add some salt and mustard. Whisk to dissolve the salt. Add oil and whisk briefly, then taste for balance, acidity and salt.

Arrange leaves on plates or large, shallow bowls. Grind some fresh pepper over each salad, then shave slivers of the Parmesan over them, drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Serves 4.

*****

Beppi's wine matches

Salads may seem innocent enough, but they are a minefield, wine-wise. The big challenge in this one is lemon juice. Acidity is the fermented grape's foe.

So pick a wine with sufficient acidity to fight back. A sauvignon blanc would work well to that end. Also, its herbal flavours will resonate with the bitterness of the radicchio and cress. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (about $20 across the country) has the requisite raciness. Like most other sauvignon blancs from New Zealand, it also delivers a blast of tropical fruit, which will complement the salad. Also look for good, and less expensive, sauvignon blancs from Niagara, such as Chateau des Charmes, Colio Estate and Peninsula Ridge.

Beppi Crosariol

Keith Froggett is co-owner and executive chef of Scaramouche in Toronto