Winter Citrus & Chicories Salad
Winter in California means an abundance of citrus fruits and chicories in an impressive array of varieties and colors. Did you make a New Years resolution to eat more seasonally and healthfully? Lucky for you, citrus and chicories are perfectly timed to help with that! Citrus add a bright punch to all your winter salads they’re packed with Vitamin C, Potassium, Vitamin B6, and Calcium amongst many other nutrients. Chicories come in many widely available varieties like Escarole, Radicchio, Frisee, Endive etc… and add a perfectly bitter, crunchy balance to the sweet, juiciness of the citrus fruits in this salad. I hope you enjoy this fresh salad on many winter weeknights. Lightly dressed with a simple lemon & dijon vinaigrette, it pairs beautifully with a warm bowl of soup or a slice of quiche for a light meal.
WINTER CITRUS & CHICORIES SALAD
Assembly Time - 10 minutes
Yields- 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Salad
1 medium Naval Orange
1 medium Red Grapefruit
1 medium Blood Orange
1 medium Cara Cara Orange
1 handful (@8) Kumquats
1 small head radicchio
1 small head Belgian Endive
1 small head Frisee
1 ripe Avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Feta, crumbled
For the Dressing
3 TB fresh lemon juice
1 TB Dijon mustard
1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Method
Make the dressing. Whisk lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and pepper together in the bottom of your salad bowl. While whisking, stream in the olive oil until thick and emulsified.
Pour 4 TB of dressing into the bottom of a large salad bowl. Wash the lettuces all together and spin to dry thoroughly. Slice lettuces into thin strips (think coleslaw) and toss them in the dressing to coat well. The acid from the dressing will begin to break down the bitterness of the chicories. You are welcome to do this up to 30 minutes before serving as the chicories are substantial enough to hold up to being dressed ahead.
Slice the North and South Poles off each citrus, except kumquats, so they stand upright on a flat base. Using a sharp knife and starting at the North Pole, slice vertically down the fruit towards the South Pole, removing the skin & white pith but leaving the flesh in tact. Once you have the skins removed, turn the fruit on its side and slice into disks, about 1/2-inch thick.
Arrange the chicories on a serving platter. Scatter the citrus disks decoratively on top of the chicories. Halve the kumquats, leaving the skins ON and scatter those about as well. Arrange avocado, sprinkle with pistachios, and crumbled feta. Serve and enjoy!
