Cooking from the Garden: Winter Citrus Salad
Winter salads are a refreshing way to eat from the garden during the colder months as there are still many tasty treasures outdoors and the chilly weather is perfect for growing greens. A local farmer gave me a delicious selection of artisan lettuce that inspired these variations on a winter citrus salad.
The salad above was made for a group and was served it in a trifle bowl lined with orange slices. To assemble the salad, I first sliced the oranges and lined the bowl, then I added the lettuce, dried cranberries and walnuts. The photograph was taken before the honey dressing was added. It is important to dress the salad immediately before serving or the greens will get soggy and lose their texture.
For the dressing, I like to mix juice squeezed from an orange with honey and extra virgin olive oil. Add salt and pepper then drizzle over the salad and toss. It is very light and allows the flavors of the lettuce to emerge.
Here ingredients for the citrus salads such as pomegranate arils, tangerines, oranges, walnuts, and dried cranberries are shown with a jar of honey from our trip to Filoli. The artisan lettuces were homegrown so I am not sure what the varieties were but the different colors and textures made an excellent base for winter fruit. They were also very flavorful and do not require much dressing.
The second variation on the citrus salad is shown plated below. This version has lettuce with satsuma tangerines and dried cranberries and is drizzled with honey. It is a simplified version of the larger salad above, but the tangerines are much more tart than the orange and provide more flavor contrast. I served pomegranate arils on the side for sprinkling on top.
This post has been shared on The Scoop, Feathered Nest Friday, and The Inspiration Gallery.