Outside of summer, citrus is the most readily available fruit in the supermarket fruit section. Here is a simple, classic European salad that is perfect when you serve a rich meat such as duck or beef for lunch or dinner. The hardest job will be to find fresh fennel bulbs, but more and more Hawaii farms are growing this anise-flavored vegetable. If you have a mandolin, your fennel can be sliced really thin, but a sharp knife will do the job. Any type of orange can be used — Cara Cara, navel, blood oranges or large tangerines.
Use a serrated knife to cut away the orange rind and cut the sections out. Add good quality olive oil, salt and pepper for a quick salad. Some folks add dark greens like spinach or baby arugula, which gives this salad more color.
Orange and Fennel Salad
Ingredients:
• 3 oranges, substitute tangerines or other citrus
• 2 small fresh fennel bulbs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Optional: fennel fronds for garnish
Directions:
Peel oranges and section them with a knife, discarding membranes.
Keep the juices from the oranges to add into the salad. Put orange sections and juice in a bowl. Cut stems o~ fennel bulbs, keeping the frilly fronds for garnish. Cut fennel bulb in half and discard core. Slice into very thin, bite-sized slices and add to bowl. Add olive oil, salt and pepper. Garnish with the fennel fronds.
Serves 2 to 4 as a side salad.
Lynette Lo Tom has written three cookbooks and loves hearing about home cooks. Visit lynettecooks.com for more information.
