Robert Wemischner

Yield: 4 starter-sized servings

Being inspired by what is in my local farmer’s markets at the moment, I gathered the main ingredients for this winter salad: fresh fennel bulb, red onion, and blood oranges. A trip to my local Mediterranean food store yielded beautiful purple-black Kalamata olives and a good Greek olive oil. You will find that the sweet/tart juice of the orange dialogues beautifully with the warm licorice notes in the fennel and the Kalamata olives punctuate the salad with their salty piquancy. 

The salad is simple to construct but using a mandoline (or a sharp chef’s knife) makes the job easier.  From start to finish, the salad should take no more than 20-30 minutes to prepare. You can have all elements cut and ready in advance, well wrapped in the refrigerator, leaving only to assemble and plate the salad just before serving. This would make a great starter to a straightforward grilled fish entree.

Make the vinaigrette first, and set aside.

For the vinaigrette:

1 T. Dijon mustard

Juice of one blood orange, sieved (approximately 1/3 c., depending on the size and juiciness of the fruit)

1 t. granulated sugar

1/2 c. fruity olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper 

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, blood orange juice and sugar. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. While whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a thin stream, making sure the mixture is emulsified before adding more oil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. The mixture should be moderately thick and creamy.

 For the salad:

1 fennel bulb, top stalks and fronds removed (reserve the fronds for optional garnish)

1 medium sized red onion, peeled

8 large or 10 medium sized leaves of Romaine lettuce, washed and dried, plus 12 small leaves, using 3 for each plate

1 blood orange, peeled with all white pith removed, cut into filets, membranes removed (as described below) 

6 to 8 pitted Kalamata olives, sliced lengthwise into 4 to 6 pieces each

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Remove the core from the fennel bulb and run the trimmed vegetable over the blade of a mandoline set to deliver paper thin slices. (Be sure to use the guard to protect fingers.) Lacking a mandoline, use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the fennel paper thin. Repeat the process with a peeled red onion.

Wash and dry 12 small romaine lettuce leaves and reserve in the refrigerator, to be used to line each salad plate.

Stack four or five leaves of romaine lettuce,  and then using a chef’s knife, slice across the ribs into thin ribbons, known as chiffonade. Repeat the process with the remaining leaves. Place all into a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside. 

Using a paring knife, cut a thin slice off of the stem and bottom ends of the orange. Then keeping the orange steady on the cutting board, following the contour of the fruit with the knife, remove the remaining peel and pith (the white part under the skin) from the orange. Then section the orange into filets by making careful cuts adjacent to each membrane, removing each section and then proceeding to the next one until all filets have been freed from the connecting membrane. You should yield perfectly cleaned filets of orange. Remove pits, if any, as you go. Set aside in a small bowl.

Lightly dress the fennel, red onion and romaine mixture with enough of the blood orange vinaigrette to moisten. Then divide into four equal servings. Compress each serving to compact into a metal ring mold, measuring 2 to 2-1/2 inches in diameter by 3 inches high. Line each chilled serving plate with a few beautiful romaine leaves. Then carefully unmold onto chilled serving plates, lined with a few small romaine leaves. Garnish with filets of blood orange, slices of pitted Kalamata olives and top the whole thing with a feathery fennel frond, if you wish. Serve immediately with a cruet of additional dressing on the side.