I am not a football fan, but it’s Superbowl Sunday and football is hard to avoid/ignore/escape on this day.
So I offer my own Super Bowl – a really great middle of winter salad. It has the color and flavor and scent of a warm and exotic and very NOT New England place. It’s not a terribly locavore sort of thing for New England. Sometimes the mere sound of the word ‘locavore‘ makes me crave the not from ’round here’. Turnips and bacon and dried beans can wait for another day.
Today is rich and sweet and fragrant and bright and sharp, all at the same time.
Oh, yes, this is one Super Salad.
This salad is from Paula Wolfert’s Mediterranean Cooking.
I’ve cut down the original recipe to serve one (or two – it depends, too, on what else you’re serving. And who.).
Salata Letchine
Serves 1 or 2
Romaine lettuce – ½ a head (or however much makes a salad for you)
1 orange
2 tsp lemon juice
Wash the lemon. Juice the lemon, take what you need and FREEZE the rest. Grate the rind and save that too.If you’re feeling extremely frugal, plant the seeds to see if you can make little lemon trees. I don’t try this in the Winter because my house isn’t citrus sprouting warm then.
2 tsp sugar
Pinch each of salt and cinnamon
2 tsp orange juice
1 tsp orange flower water
Make sure your orange flower water is food grade – it’s also great in cold bubbly drinks (Prosecco) in the summer!
1 oz chopped dates
You can also buy chopped dates (sometimes it’s the only option offered, which is how I came up with a weight ) otherwise 2 or 3
1 oz chopped blanched toasted almonds
- Wash, dry and shred lettuce.
- Peel orange and separate into sections.
- Mix lemon juice, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange juice and orange flower water together.
- Just before serving, pour most of the dressing over the lettuce and toss. Put the orange sections on top of the lettuce. Top with the dates and almonds. Dribble the remaining dressing over the top.
- Dust with a little more cinnamon.
- Serve at once.
Adapted from Paula Wolfret Mediterranean Cooking. 1994, rev. ed. p. 287.