Teri’s Sliced Orange Salad With Arugula, Fennel & Shaved Parmesan

On New Year’s Day my friend Teri texted me a photo of her “Boxing Day salad,” a mix of blood oranges, arugula, shaved fennel, thinly sliced red onion and pomegranate seeds.

“Fresh and bright,” she wrote. “Nice way to wrap up that holiday blitz!”

So true , I thought. Like many, I found myself on January 1st needing a break from the booze and the cheese and the sweets that abound at every turn during the last six weeks of the year. Shortly after seeing Teri’s photo, I made my way to the grocery store in search of winter citrus and greens. Nothing sounded more refreshing or perfect than that very salad at that very moment.

I made the salad for dinner that evening, and I’ve made it a number of times since. It’s nice aside soup or really any wintry dish, but it also can stand alone with the addition of a little protein. I’ve been pulling leftover roasted chicken, tossing it with the greens and fennel, and calling dinner done (with a hunk of bread on the side, of course).

Incidentally, I made this on Instagram Stories , and someone messaged me saying her family makes this salad all the time with the addition of salty black olives. The combination of blood oranges, fennel, pomegranates, and parmesan (or Pecorino) is a classic Sicilian salad, and the addition of black olives is a variation of the dish. Depending on your preferences, change up the contents as you like. And if you really can’t get behind fennel, thinly sliced endive works beautifully, too.

Another idea: plate the salad on individual plates—might be fun for a party?

Description

This is more of a guide than a recipe. Here are the essential elements:

• sliced oranges, any variety you like though Cara Cara and blood oranges are particularly nice
• citrus-shallot vinaigrette
• arugula
• thinly shaved fennel or endive
• shaved parmesan

A few other ideas: Teri showered her salad with thinly sliced red onions and pomegranate arils, both of which looked striking. When I made this on Instagram Stories , someone messaged me saying her family makes something similar with the addition of salty black olives, which is a classic Sicilian combination.

If you’re looking for video guidance, I made the whole salad in Instagram Stories .

This salad, with the addition of a little protein, could be a standalone meal. I’ve been pulling leftover roasted chicken and tossing it with the greens and fennel. Without the chicken, it’s nice aside soup or really any wintry main course.

• 1 to 2 shallots minced to yield 1/4-1/3 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 to 3 oranges (count on 1 orange per person)
• flaky sea salt such as Maldon
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 to 4 ounces arugula
• 1 head fennel
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine the shallots, salt, and vinegar. Set aside while you peel the oranges.
2. Slice off the end of each orange. Squeeze the juice from each end into the bowl of shallots and vinegar. Working with one orange at a time, stand it on its flat end. Use your knife to slice down around the orange to remove the skin. Hug the flesh as you slice—it’s better to lose some flesh in the rind than to have pith clinging to the flesh. Squeeze the rinds into the bowl of shallots and vinegar to extract any juice. Repeat until you’ve peeled all of the oranges. (Video guidance in Instagram Stories. )
3. Working with one orange at a time, turn it on its side and slice down crosswise to create 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the oranges on a platter. Season with flaky sea salt.
4. Using a fork, whisk the olive oil into the dressing—it will not be emulsified. Taste. Adjust seasoning with more salt if necessary or more oil for a little less bite. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of dressing over the oranges.
5. Place the greens and thinly sliced fennel into a large bowl. Drizzle with a few spoonfuls of the dressing. Toss lightly to coat. Taste. Adjust with more dressing or salt to taste.
6. Pile the greens on top of the oranges. Use a peeler to shave Parmigiano Reggiano over top. Crack pepper to taste over top. Serve with knife and fork.
7. Store extra dressing in a jar in the fridge or at room temperature if your kitchen is cool. Shake or whisk well before using.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Toss
• Cuisine: American

Description

This is more of a guide than a recipe. Here are the essential elements:

• sliced oranges, any variety you like though Cara Cara and blood oranges are particularly nice
• citrus-shallot vinaigrette
• arugula
• thinly shaved fennel or endive
• shaved parmesan

A few other ideas: Teri showered her salad with thinly sliced red onions and pomegranate arils, both of which looked striking. When I made this on Instagram Stories , someone messaged me saying her family makes something similar with the addition of salty black olives, which is a classic Sicilian combination.

If you’re looking for video guidance, I made the whole salad in Instagram Stories .

This salad, with the addition of a little protein, could be a standalone meal. I’ve been pulling leftover roasted chicken and tossing it with the greens and fennel. Without the chicken, it’s nice aside soup or really any wintry main course.

• 1 to 2 shallots minced to yield 1/4-1/3 cup
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
• 2 to 3 oranges (count on 1 orange per person)
• flaky sea salt such as Maldon
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 to 4 ounces arugula
• 1 head fennel
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl, combine the shallots, salt, and vinegar. Set aside while you peel the oranges.
2. Slice off the end of each orange. Squeeze the juice from each end into the bowl of shallots and vinegar. Working with one orange at a time, stand it on its flat end. Use your knife to slice down around the orange to remove the skin. Hug the flesh as you slice—it’s better to lose some flesh in the rind than to have pith clinging to the flesh. Squeeze the rinds into the bowl of shallots and vinegar to extract any juice. Repeat until you’ve peeled all of the oranges. (Video guidance in Instagram Stories. )
3. Working with one orange at a time, turn it on its side and slice down crosswise to create 1/2-inch thick slices. Arrange the oranges on a platter. Season with flaky sea salt.
4. Using a fork, whisk the olive oil into the dressing—it will not be emulsified. Taste. Adjust seasoning with more salt if necessary or more oil for a little less bite. Drizzle a few spoonfuls of dressing over the oranges.
5. Place the greens and thinly sliced fennel into a large bowl. Drizzle with a few spoonfuls of the dressing. Toss lightly to coat. Taste. Adjust with more dressing or salt to taste.
6. Pile the greens on top of the oranges. Use a peeler to shave Parmigiano Reggiano over top. Crack pepper to taste over top. Serve with knife and fork.
7. Store extra dressing in a jar in the fridge or at room temperature if your kitchen is cool. Shake or whisk well before using.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Toss
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2019/01/14/teris-sliced-orange-salad-with-arugula-fennel-shaved-parmesan/

Incredibly, I had everything on hand to make the dish, which came together as quickly as promised. The first time I made it, I used fresh Chinese noodles that I had on hand, which worked well but I’ve since made the recipe with dried Japanese udon noodles, Milk Street’s recommendation, which worked even better.

The recipe, I learned, was inspired by Fuchsia Dunlop’s “emergency midnight noodles” from her cookbook Every Grain of Rice . Fuchsia makes the noodles with chili oil, which Milk Street has you make from scratch by heating grapeseed oil with red pepper flakes (and sesame seeds). It takes just a few minutes.

To bulk it up a bit, I’ve added thinly shredded cabbage and carrots, which I drain the hot noodles over to help soften them. I like the inclusion of vegetables, and though some sort protein would be a nice addition, too, I haven’t been missing it. Milk Street tops each serving with a fried egg, which they fry in the same skillet used to make the infused oil. Yum.

Here’s the play-by-play: Gather your ingredients. Milk Street recommends dried Japanese udon noodles for this dish.

For the sauce, you’ll need: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, pepper flakes, sesame seeds, brown sugar and grapeseed oil or other neutral oil.

If you’re adding vegetables, prep them before you boil the noodles. I use my food processor to shred the carrots and my knife to slice the cabbage. The scallions need to be sliced and the whites and greens separated.

Boil the noodles in salted water (left), while you infuse the grapeseed oil with chilies and sesame seeds (right).

Adding the scallion whites to the sauce, heat now turned off.

Finish the sauce by stirring in the mix of soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and rice vinegar.

When the noodles have boiled…

… drain them over the vegetables in a colander.

Careful of the curious kitty!

Transfer vegetables and noodles to bowl and add the scallion greens.

Add the sauce.

Toss.

Eat.

These are also really delicious with the fresh udon noodles. I used the Nasoya brand here. Really yummy. No carrots in this version.

Description

I’ve made a few changes:

• I add vegetables: cabbage and carrots. If you wish to add vegetables, too, be sure to choose vegetables that will soften under the heat of boiling water poured over them. Finely chopping or shredding the vegetables will help. I think Romaine lettuce would work nicely here, too.
• I use 2 tablespoons of sugar, and I find it to be sweet enough, but use the full 3 if you wish.
• I have yet to top each serving with a fried egg, but if you wish to do so, fry it directly in the skillet you use to infuse the oil with the chilies, sesame seeds, and scallions.

Next time, I may try infusing the grapeseed oil with crushed Sichuan peppercorns. I love the numbing mala sensation. I’ll keep you posted.

• kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar (I use 2; original recipe calls for 3)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 5 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 1 to 1¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 12 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced on the bias, reserved separately
• 1 small cabbage, finely sliced, optional
• 1 to 2 large carrots, grated using the shredder attachment of a food processor, optional
• 12 ounces dried udon noodles, lo mein or spaghetti or fresh udon noodles (fresh udon, such as the Nasoya brand, are my favorite)

1. Bring a large pot of salted water (I use 1 tablespoon kosher salt) to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil.
2. In a 12-inch skillet over medium, heat the grapeseed oil, sesame seeds and pepper flakes (use 1 teaspoon or less if you are sensitive to heat) until the pepper flakes are fragrant and the seeds begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in the scallion whites, then add the soy sauce mixture. Set aside.
3. If you haven’t prepped the vegetables, do so now: Finely slice the cabbage. Shred the carrots in a food processor using the shedder attachment. Place them in a large colander in the sink.
4. Cook the noodles until al dente—my dried Udon noodles take 7 minutes, but be sure to check the package of the noodles you are using—then drain the noodles directly over the vegetables in the colander.
5. Transfer the noodles and vegetables to a large serving bowl. Add the scallion greens. Bring the sauce in the skillet on the stovetop just up to a simmer (if it has cooled down), then pour over the noodles and vegetables. Toss to combine. Serve.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Boil, Sauté
• Cuisine: Chinese