Fennel, orange and arugula salad with pistachios

Fresh and flavour salad ideal for winter meals!

I’ve recently discovered a wonderful variety of orange called Cara Cara. Also known as Red Navels, they are juicy and oh-so-sweet, plus their flesh is a vibrant orangey-red colour that really makes any plate pop. I’ve been using them in many different dishes and this tasty salad is a new favourite creation. Baby arugula is lovely if you can find it; be sure to slice the fennel as thinly as possible. You can substitute blood oranges or even regular navel oranges if you can’t get your hands on Cara Caras, though they are becoming so popular you’re likely to find them at any store with a decent produce section. Treat yourself to a bottle of good olive oil for use in salads and finishing dishes – it’s worth it!

Ingredients

• 1 fennel bulb, very finely sliced (white part only)
• 1 cup (250 mL) arugula, washed
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) shelled roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 2 Cara Cara oranges, peeled and sliced
• 3 tablespoons (45 mL) good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (22.5 mL) red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (1.25 mL), or to taste
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Prepare all ingredients before beginning to assemble salad.
• For dressing, whisk together olive oil, vinegar and salt. Set aside.
• Lay out four medium sized plates.
• Put sliced fennel and washed arugula in a large bowl.
• Drizzle dressing over top then using hands, gently tumble fennel and arugula so it becomes evenly coated with dressing. Yes, this is a bit messy, but it’s the way the pros do it, for good reason, because it ensures even coating and prevents puddles of dressing on your plate.
• Place a mound of the fennel and arugula mixture on each plate.
• Put orange slices on top of the greens.
• Sprinkle with chopped pistachios then add a few grinds of pepper.

Serves 4.