Insalata di Arance

Peeled orange rounds with fennel and olives, dressed without vinegar.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 4 large oranges
• 1 fennel bulb, shaved thinly
• 80 g black olives, stoned
• 1 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• flaky salt
• black pepper
• mint or wild fennel fronds

Method

1. CUT THE PEEL AND ALL THE WHITE PITH AWAY WITH A KNIFE, following the curve, then slice the oranges into rounds across the segments. Peeling by hand leaves pith, which is bitter and ruins it.
2. Work over a bowl and keep whatever juice runs.
3. Soak the sliced onion in cold water for 10 minutes and dry it. That takes the harshness out without cooking it.
4. Shave the fennel as thinly as you can, on a mandoline if you have one.
5. Lay the orange rounds flat on a plate, scatter the fennel, onion and olives, and season.
6. DRESS IT WITH OIL AND THE ORANGE JUICE ONLY. NO VINEGAR AND NO LEMON. The orange is the acid — anything else added fights it, and this is a salad whose whole balance is sweet, salt and oil.
7. Serve it within the half hour, before the fennel goes limp and the oranges weep.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes