Ingredients
Serves 4
1 chicory
2 oranges (or you could use 6 clementines)
2 bunches of watercress, washed and tough stalks removed
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil (note you can use stronger flavoured walnut oil which really goes with the chicory)
Chicory and Orange salad
Now I’m not really a presentation kind of girl, especially when cooking for just myself I tend to throw everything in a bowl, mash it up, add copious amounts of pepper and garlic and hope for the best; however, after making this nutritious and delicious dish I have become a slight convert this simple but striking salad.The combination of slightly tart orange compliments the bold peppery watercress, and the contrast of crunchy chicory with soft juicy citrus is wonderful, whilst the savoury dressing runs through the whole dish.
If you use clementines then all three of the main ingredients are in season right now, easing one’s conscience in the New Year. Simple to prepare, yet striking to behold, this salad is a great starter, or if bulked up with some pulses, main course, full of vitamin c to ward off any winter bugs!
Recipe
Trim the chicory, separate gently into leaves by breaking them off at the stem end, then wash gently and leave to drain
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the rind from 1 of the oranges (or 2 clementines) and roughly chop this rind up into pieces and put in a bowl
Squeeze the juice from one half of this orange, and add to the rind, with the oil
Add the crushed garlic to the rind and juice, to allow it to infuse
Using a sharp knife, chop the bottom and top piece of rind off the oranges, which allows you to stand them up. Follow the curve of the rind with the knife between the peel and flesh, allowing you to cut the orange neatly out of its skin. Repeat this all the way around the orange
Looking for the white pith "spokes" between the segments, carefully make two incisions per segment between the pith and flesh, allowing you to remove each segment cleanly. For some photos to help, see here
Scatter the chicory onto a large plate, followed by the orange segments and watercress
Drizzle over the infused dressing, and serve
