Dressings and Marinades

Herbed Citrus Salad with Tahini Dressing and Greens

This salad is deceptively simple. A mix of ruby red grapefruit and Cara Cara and mandarin oranges is the centerpiece, but the complex flavors come from tossing the fruit with fresh tarragon, parsley, and spring mix dressed in an irresistibly smoky tahini dressing. Citrus and herbs: the remedy for winter boredom.

With thanks Elizabeth Stark

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

For the tahini dressing:

  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • Finely grated zest of 1 tangerine, plus 1/4 cup of the juice
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • Water, as needed

For the salad:

  • 1 ruby red grapefruit
  • 1 Cara Cara orange
  • 1 mandarin orange
  • 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves, minced
  • 4 cups spring mix or baby lettuce
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate arils (optional)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Make the dressing:Place the shallot, tangerine zest and juice, lemon juice, honey, salt, and chili powder in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes to give shallots time to marinate. Whisk in the tahini until mixture is emulsified. If dressing is too thick, add a drizzle of water to thin.
  2. Make the salad:To prep the citrus, trim the top and bottom from each piece of fruit. Then, with downward strokes, cut remaining peel off in strips, removing peel and white pith and revealing the citrus flesh. Cut off any remaining pith. Slice citrus crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle the tarragon and parsley over both sides of the citrus rounds.
  3. Place the greens in a medium bowl. Drizzle in a few tablespoons dressing and toss. Arrange the greens on a platter or plate and top with the citrus rounds. Finish with another drizzle of tahini dressing, sprinkle with the pomegranate arils if using, and finish with a few twists of freshly ground pepper.

RECIPE NOTES

Make ahead: This salad is best eaten fresh, but the citrus can be sliced and the dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator

Source: https://www.thekitchn.com

Vinaigrette

The classic vinaigrette contains olive oil and vinegar. The proportion was once quite a definite 2:1, but even that rule is no longer followed. People have become more health conscious, there is a far greater variety of oils and vinegars available, and I think that people are thinking more about what they are doing when they are cooking. Some salads need a lighter touch than others, and garlic is no longer considered necessary in a dressing.

I would say that a classic vinaigrette is still made with virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar, with perhaps just a touch of lemon juice, so my classic vinaigrette is as follows.

3 tablespoons olive oil (virgin)
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic or 2 roasted garlic cloves (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together, and toss over salad just before serving.

If serving more than one dressed salad in a meal, or at a party, try to vary your vinaigrettes, both in the oils used and the vinegars. Apple Cider Vinegar has pretty much replaced the standard white wine vinegar for us, so that’s what we use most of the time.

Remember too, that lemon juice is treated as a vinegar for the purpose of the exercise. Fresh herbs steeped in white wine vinegar and left in a corner of the cupboard just keep getting better and better.