Feed Your Need For Fresh

Light, bright and refreshing Fennel & Blood Orange Salad | Photo by Della Rollins

I think we can all agree, it's been a long winter. Like, really long. I don't know about you, but I've hit a wall with all the heavy braises, stews and roasts. (Although the other night, I was happy to dig into a big ol' bowl of poutine, so I guess I'm not that over comfort food!) When I'm not gorging on gravy-soaked fries, I'm craving something refreshing, light and bright. A dish that tells me, hang in there, spring is just around the corner. We're a good month away from the first local lovelies, like asparagus, ramps and rhubarb, so I turn to ingredients that mimic those fresh flavours – fennel and citrus, which are both at their peak over the winter months. This Fennel & Blood Orange Salad has been a go-to over the past few weeks: I love the mild anise astringency of the raw fennel blended with the sweet-sour of the blood orange. 

I was first inspired by this recipe from Food52, but I wanted a dressing with more oomph. The one I've created is simple and light, using the juice for both sweetness and acidity and maximizing your ingredients by juicing the membranes left over after the oranges have been segmented (scroll down for a segmenting how-to). I played with regular Dijon mustard but found that using grainy mustard gave the dressing the body and interest I was looking for while retaining the beautiful colour of the juice. The salad lends itself to many adaptations. I like the saline bite of green olives, but you can add creaminess with avocado slices or extra crunch with toasted nuts like pistachio. And if you can't find blood oranges, try another citrus like grapefruit or navel oranges or even a mix of the two. Oh and be sure to use those fennel fronds, the wispy green tops on the fennel bulb that look a bit like dill; they have a subtle anise flavour and look beautiful.

Fennel & Blood Orange Salad
Prep Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Serves: 4

1 bulb fennel, shaved with mandolin or thinly sliced, fronds reserved
2-3 medium blood oranges, segmented, membranes reserved
1/4 cup green olives

Dressing
Reserved blood orange membranes 
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
1 tsp liquid honey 
pinch each salt and pepper
1 clove garlic
2 sprigs thyme

Arrange shaved or sliced fennel on a plate. Arrange blood orange segments on top. Chop reserved fennel fronds and scatter on top. Top with green olives. Drizzle with dressing (you may have some dressing leftover, depending on your preference).

For the dressing
Squeeze juice from reserved orange membranes for approx. 4 tbsp of juice. Whisk juice together with oil, mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning (honey) as necessary, depending on level of sweetness of blood oranges. Remove peel from garlic and lightly crush with the flat blade of a knife, keeping the clove whole. Place garlic and thyme in dressing; let sit for 10 to 15 min. to infuse. Remove garlic and thyme before use. Note: I often use garlic and herbs like this to flavour my dressings, especially when I want them to impart subtle flavour. Leave the dressing in the fridge overnight to fully develop.

Here's how to segment citrus – it's easy!

Segmented citrus makes for easy eating and looks impressive | photos by Della Rollins

By the way, what do you think of the amazing photos in this post? I was very lucky to collaborate with photographer, and my good friend, Della Rollins. Aren't they beautiful? I love this one:  

Orange segmenting aftermath | photo by Della Rollins

We had a fun, relaxed shoot, in between keeping my little guy occupied – thank goodness for Jolly Jumpers! Thanks Della!

Now that I've satisfied my craving for fresh, I'm thinking next week may be dedicated to chocolate.... All things in moderation, right? Any special requests?