Ditch the bowl for this festive, shapely Christmas Tree Salad

We are in the middle of the holiday season, also known as the season of decorating, entertaining and eating — a season I thoroughly enjoy. I love all the twinkling lights inside and out, special treasures I unpack and display only at this time of year, and how decorating now includes creating food that is equally festive.

An example is the charcuterie turkey my niece made for Thanksgiving. Cheese and cured meats were layered to make the tail fan and a cheese ball served as the body. It was so cute, and there was no question what it was — at least before people ate it all!

Fast forward to Christmas and I am seeing layers of tomato, mozzarella and basil coming together as a candy cane shaped caprese salad, deviled eggs with green tinted filling piped to resemble evergreen trees, and even a cheese ball in the shape of a very realistic Grinch head. (I am going to try that one for my Grinch-loving family!) My cousin even sent me links to a wedge salad arranged like a Christmas tree, which got me thinking.

For those of you who would like to jump on the decorative food bandwagon, try this Christmas Tree Salad. Yes, it is festively shaped like a tree, but it is also a really tasty salad you will want to make again.

This recipe was inspired by a delicious Italian sub salad recipe I have been making for years. It is one of my go-to recipes when I am asked to bring something to a potluck, and it’s always a crowd favorite.

Just like when you are setting up your Christmas tree, begin with the tree itself. Starting at the bottom of the tree, alternate layers of colored greens (like red and green leaf lettuce) with something of a different color and texture. In my case, I used red leaf lettuce and baby arugula.

Next, add the decorations. I started with half slices of thinly sliced salami rolled to look like little cones and tucked them into the greens randomly across the tree, followed by halved cherry tomatoes. Next, evenly distribute the chickpeas and black olives. (I meant to add sliced peperoncini as a way to add wonderful flavor without heat, but I forgot; so be sure to include them on your tree if you like them.)

For the finishing touches, add some red onion garland, or sprinkle it on randomly like tinsel. My favorite part is the provolone cheese stars that pull the whole tree together. I used a small star-shaped cookie cutter to do this. Serve salad dressing on the side, and you are ready to go.

Since the salad is vertical and I wanted to be sure to have enough for at least six people, I used a large wooden cutting board for my base. A foil-lined cookie sheet or anything of similar size would also work.

By adjusting the amount of each ingredient, you can easily scale the recipe up or down to feed any size crowd you’d like.

Feel free to get creative — maybe a wreath instead of a tree? The sky is the limit on design, and the same goes for the ingredients. Or just make the salad in a bowl, as it is delicious on its own.

No matter what you serve at your holiday gatherings, I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season with lots of good food.

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

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Christmas Tree Salad

1 package or head red leaf lettuce, or something with a little color

1 package baby arugula

¼ pound thinly sliced salami

½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (you may not use all)

½ cup sliced black olives

½ cup pickled mild peperoncini slices (optional)

1 small red onion, peeled

¼ pound sliced provolone

Large cutting board or cookie sheet

Your favorite salad dressing

Preparing ingredients and set each aside:

Wash, dry and trim lettuce leaves.

Cut onion into halves from “stem to stern,” slice thinly and separate.

Using a small star-shaped cookie cutter, or cutter of your choice, cut shapes out of provolone slices.

Cut salami slices in half.

Drain olives and peperoncini, if using.

On a large cutting board or cookie sheet, start at the bottom of the tree by creating a row of large lettuce leaves. Top with a layer of arugula, followed by another row of lettuce leaves. Continue gradually narrowing each layer to create the shape of an evergreen tree, ending with arugula for the top. Be sure to use enough lettuce and arugula to yield enough greens for your finished salad. You can also create a tree trunk out of a rolled leaf of lettuce.

Decorating the tree: Start by rolling salami halves into small cones and arrange within greens. Follow with cherry tomato halves. Sprinkle with desired amount of chickpeas (I used about half a can), followed by black olives and peperoncini, if using. Arrange onion slices as if they were garland or sprinkle all over tree. Lastly, add the cheese stars.

Serve with your favorite salad dressing on the side.

Variations: More optional ingredients include quartered artichoke hearts, sliced hearts of palm, and chopped pepperoni.

Serves 6

— Penny Kazmier