Winter salad of radicchio red chicory, toasted almonds, orange and fennel

• 10 minutes to prepare • 10 minutes to cook • Serves 4

10 MINUTES 

 

I’ve always thought that winter salads get short shrift, since salads made in warmer seasons grab the spotlight, due to the abundant variety of produce available.

But there is just as much fruit and vegetable variety during the colder months–more than you may think.
Fennel, radicchio, and orange are winter produce items, which means they are at their peak of flavor and quality during their natural growing season.

Radicchio belongs to the chicory family of plants. There are several varieties of radicchio cultivated both domestically and throughout Europe, but the variety most often found in grocery stores is radicchio di Chioggia, which grows in a tight, round head about the size of a small grapefruit.
It is characterized by dark red leaves with white ribs. Its bitter taste counterpoints to sweet and sour flavors, so the lettuces pair especially well with anise-flavored fennel and sweet-tart oranges.
A final garnish of lightly toasted, chopped almonds adds a distinct nutty flavor and crunch to this salad.
A simple vinaigrette made with fresh orange juice and delicate EVO oil complements and enhances both the bitter and sweet flavors of the vegetables, making this the perfect winter salad to serve at your next meal.

Buon appetito!

Here are ingredients for the 4-serving recipe:

 

200 g red chicory
200 g fresh fennel
2 oranges
1 fistful almonds
EVO oil
salt and pepper

1. Wash radicchio red chicory and fennel. Cut chicory into pieces, and slice fennel very thin. Keep aside
2. Peal the orange, being careful to remove all the white peel, and cut it into pieces. Do the same with half of the other one, and keep aside
3. Prepare the dressing: squeeze the remaining half orange to make a jiuse, add 2 tablespoons of EVO oil and salt. Whisk to mix
4. Toast the almonds in a pan with no seasoning 
5. Put fennel and red chicory, oranges in a large owl. Season everything with the orange dressing and stir to mix. Top with toasted almonds

Nutrition Facts are listed for this recipe in the table below. Data is provided per serving.