‘Bright,’ ‘fresh,’ and ‘fragrant’ are not typically the first words used to describe many items on the wintertime meal table. Today, we offer just that: a citrusy salad inspired by an island in the Mediterranean known for its infused flavors and mélange of Spanish, Greek, and Arab influences in its culinary tradition. While you’ll have to wait until April to join us on our cycling tour in Sicily, we hope this will get you dreaming about pedaling this historically rich destination and inspire you to start planning your trip now!
Sicilian-Inspired Blood Orange Salad
Makes enough for side salads for 4 people
Ingredients:
Salad:
- 3 Cara Cara oranges, segmented
- 6 blood oranges, segmented
- ¼ red onion, cut into very thin slivers
- 1 bunch of fresh mint, julienned
- ¼ cup feta cheese
Cut and combine oranges with onion slices, set aside.
Dressing:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1/3 cup pistachios, coarsely crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil on medium-high in a small skillet. Add the cumin seeds and cook until they pop and start to emit a fragrance. Add vinegar to the pan and swirl to mix. Season with salt and pepper and toss into citrus salad. Mix in pistachios, mint, feta.
Make this salad big enough and you can call it a dinner entrée. If you so desire, allow it to be an elegant starter for a main dish of couscous and seafood.
[Recipe from theKitchn.com]