In Season: Citrus Salad With Radicchio
Nobody puts out a better Middle Eastern cookbook than the husband-wife team of Greg and Lucy Malouf. Their recipes come with beautiful stories that will inspired you to make something phenomenal in your kitchen, and add a new favorite to your repertoire. This citrus salad with radicchio is just what this winter weather calls for.
Citrus fruits come into season just when our bodies and souls need them most, and this lovely refreshing salad is the perfect dish to cheer up a dreary winter's day. Here, we use a mixture of ruby grapefruit, oranges and mandarins, but when blood oranges are in season, we tend to make them the solo star.
Barberries have a fabulous sour-sweet flavor. They are available from Persian stores or some Middle Eastern stores, but if you can't find them, use dried cranberries or cherries instead.
Reprinted with permission from New Feast: Modern Middle Eastern Vegetarian
- 3 blood oranges (or use ordinary oranges, ruby grapefruit or a mix of your favorite citrus fruit)
- Generous handful red radicchio leaves
- 2 baby fennel, or 1 medium fennel, very finely sliced
- 1 shallot
- 2-3 handfuls rocket (arugula) leaves
- 1 tablespoon tarragon leaves
- 2 tablespoons shredded flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
- 1 ounce almonds (skins on)
- 1 knob butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoons barberries, soaked in water for 2 minutes
- labneh
- 1/2 teaspoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 2 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- :::labneh:::
- Chop the almonds evenly to the consistency of very coarse breadcrumbs. Heat the butter in a small frying pan and fry the almonds for around 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until they are golden brown. Add the barberries to the pan and fry for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Drain on kitchen paper and leave to cool completely. Roll the labneh balls carefully in the cold almond-barberry mixture so they are evenly coated and then set aside.
- :::salad:::
- Use a very sharp knife to peel the oranges, taking care to remove all the pith. Holding the fruit over a large mixing bowl to catch the juice, carefully slice each segment out of its skin casing and into the bowl.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Add the collected citrus juice and whisk everything together. Adjust the seasoning to your liking and set aside.
- Add the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl with the orange slices and pour in enough dressing to coat lightly. Mix everything together very gently and tip onto a serving platter. Tuck the labneh balls in among the salad ingredients and serve straight away.