The world of food and cooking

This salad has already become a modern classic. It’s fresh and crisp, and it’s really nice to have it for a change to the winter diet dominated by processed vegetables. Its bright, citrus presence makes it a wonderful addition to most of winter menus or for those days we feel bit heavy after the holiday feasts.

We know there are lots of variations – with different kinds of dressings and citrus fruits, with or without nuts or green leaves such as arugula or lettuce, or with various ingredients proportions. Honestly, every one of them sounds fantastic. As usual, we preferred the simplest possible… until we recently tried it with baby octopus, and it was just fabulous.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
2 medium sized oranges, peeled and separated into segments
2 big fennel bulbs, thinly sliced

Optional: 2 cans (4 oz/115g each) baby octopus in olive oil, grained

or a handful of walnuts, crushed

Method:

Slice finely the fennel bulbs. Peel and cut into segments the oranges, and gently mix both in a serving bowl. Reserve 2 tbsp of the juice from the orange trimmings for the dressing.

If you decide to use it, drain the octopus pieces and add to the fennel.

In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the dressing and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour over the salad, mix and serve.

This recipe is adapted from White on rice couple.