Bring on the layers when it’s cold outside. And before you reach for your fleece or parka, let’s be perfectly clear: We’re talking about salads. That’s right, salads have a place in the fall and winter, and when the brisk seasons invite layering hefty, nourishing ingredients into our meals, this principle also applies to salads. They can handle it.

This vibrant salad is a perfect example. It’s layered with toothsome nutty black rice, juicy-crisp radicchio leaves, and spice-roasted delicata squash rings. Each ingredient brings flavor, texture and nutrients to the salad party, and when composed together in a serving bowl and drizzled with a thick balsamic vinaigrette, they produce a unified and highly decorative salad that will please and wow everyone at the dinner and holiday table.

Delicata squash is a winter squash that is often bypassed for the ubiquitous butternut squash. Delicata is a small oblong squash with green and yellow striated skin that is edible, so there is no need to peel it. It cooks quickly, and roasting is an easy method that amplifies its mildly sweet and creamy flavor. The squash can be halved lengthwise and roasted, or better yet, sliced into thin rings, which resemble decorative flower shapes.

If you need any further encouragement to make this salad, note that it can be easily prepped ahead of serving, since the rice and squash rings should be cooked and cooled to room temperature. The final assembly takes minutes, which is a cook’s gift during the busy holiday season.

Delicata, Radicchio and Black Rice Salad

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes, plus rice cooking and cooling time

Yield: Serves 4

Dressing:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup black rice, rinsed

Salt

1 large delicata squash, scrubbed clean

1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large head radicchio, cored, leaves torn into shards

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley leaves

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (or pomegranate arils)

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Cook the rice until tender, according to package instructions. Season to taste with salt and set aside to cool to lukewarm or room temperature.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the squash crosswise in 1/3-inch-thick slices and scoop out the seeds. Place the rings in a large bowl. Add the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, the cumin, paprika and black pepper and toss to coat. Arrange the squash rings on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment. Transfer to the oven and roast until golden brown in spots and tender, about 25 minutes, flipping once. Remove from the oven and lightly brush with the dressing. Cool to lukewarm or room temperature.

Spread the radicchio in a wide shallow serving bowl. Stir the scallions into the rice and then spoon the rice over and around the radicchio. Arrange the delicata rings around the salad, tucking some of the rings under the radicchio leaves. Sprinkle the parsley and pumpkin seeds (or pomegranate arils) over the salad. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

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The holidays can be stressful, so take the pressure down a notch and feed and entertain with a decorative cheese platter. Cheese is a perfect accompaniment to cocktails, an inviting appetizer or, heck, a casual help-yourself dinner. And with a little thought, a cheese board can take center stage on the holiday table. Everything you need for a cheese board can be purchased ahead, ready to prepare and arranged with simple tips.

Try to balance your cheese selection in strength, texture, flavor and color. As a simple rule of thumb, select four to six cheeses, depending on how many people you are serving. Vary the colors, textures, strengths and milk source, such as a fresh goat cheese, a bloomy pungent or washed rind cheese, a wedge of piquant alpine cheese or butterscotch-y Gouda, a nutty Pecorino (sheep cheese) and streaky blues. Mix the shapes as well, choosing bricks, wedges and molded rounds. And be sure to serve each cheese with its own knife.

Use the farmers market for decorative inspiration and edible garnishes. Arrange the cheese on large leafy greens, such as chard and collard greens, and decorate with curly, frizzy leaves such as purple kale, chicories and frisee. Weave smaller decorative sprigs of herbs and edible flowers around the cheese as aromatic garnishes. Hollow out a small red cabbage or a radicchio head to use as a serving vessel for nuts and olives.

And don’t just stick to cheese. Add savory slices of salami and cured meats accompanied by cornichons. Sweeten up the board with colorful nibbles such as fresh grapes, crab apples, pomegranate arils and persimmon wedges, or dried cranberries, figs and apricots. Serve with a jar of chutney or jam. Add a wedge of honeycomb or a little glass of honey for drizzling.

Select a variety of crackers, crisps and breads for texture, color and consistency: hearty fruit and nut bread, rustic baguette slices, olive oil crackers, seeded crisp breads -- and don't forget to add some gluten-free options, just in case.

Arrange the cheese on a background of black slate or a weathered cutting board, or place a cutting board in a large wide basket. Arrange smaller wooden plates or decorative bowls on the boards to contain runny cheese and fill with crackers, olives and spiced nuts, such as these Bourbon Spiced Pecans.

Bourbon Spiced Pecans

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Yield: Makes 2 cups

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup bourbon

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

2 cups pecan halves

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment.

Combine the sugar, bourbon, salt, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne in a medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add the pecans and stir to thoroughly coat.

Pour the pecans onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out in one layer. Bake until browned and crusty, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment and pecans onto a rack to cool completely. Break the pecans apart and store in an airtight container.

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For a long time, I steered clear of tomatillos -- not because of an aversion, but I simply didn’t know what do with them. Well, I am here to tell you that these little tomato-esque “vegetables” are easy to use and a delight to eat. Their flavor is tart and vegetal with a hint of fruit, and they add pucker-y brightness to salsas and stews.

Tomatillos are in fact classified as a fruit (like tomatoes) and are a member of the nightshade family. They are wrapped in a papery husk, which, when removed, reveals a crab apple-sized green fruit that resembles a tomato. Tomatillos are native to Central America, which helps to explain why they are a prominent ingredient in salsas. If you’ve had a green salsa or salsa verde, then you’ve had a tomatillo.

A fresh tomatillo should be firm, unblemished and bright green in color. They can be eaten raw or cooked. When eaten raw, their tartness will be pronounced. Roasting tempers their acidity, coaxing out their natural sweetness, while adding a smoky, charred note.

To prepare a tomatillo, remove the paper husk and wash the fruit to remove the sticky film that coats the surface. When roasting, halve the tomatillos crosswise and broil, cut side down (or grill skin-side up) to get a light char on the skins. You want those skins in the salsa for the extra flavor.

The salsa in this recipe can be enjoyed straight up on a chip, spooned over tacos and casseroles, and dolloped over grilled meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. In this recipe, it’s the base for a simple and bright chicken stew. For extra depth of flavor, I’ve marinated the chicken in citrus and herbs to amplify the salsa.

Tomatillo Chicken Stew

Active Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, plus marinating time

Yield: Serves: 4 to 6

Marinade:

3 garlic cloves

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, halved

Salsa:

1 pound tomatillos

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded, halved lengthwise

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 small white onion, coarsely chopped

1 small poblano pepper, seeded, coarsely chopped

1 cup packed cilantro leaves and tender stems

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

Cooked long-grain rice

2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Marinate the chicken: Whisk the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Make the salsa: Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos. Rinse the tomatillos to remove the sticky film. Halve the tomatillos cross-wise and arrange with the jalapenos, cut sides down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Place under the oven broiler and broil until the skins are lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly and then combine the tomatillos, jalapenos and the remaining salsa ingredients in a food processor and pulse to achieve a salsa consistency.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. In batches, cook the chicken on both sides to give them a little color, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Pour the salsa into the pan, scraping up any brown bits. Nestle the chicken into the salsa. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

To serve, ladle the chicken and sauce over the rice. Serve garnished with the scallions and cilantro.

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