Super (Salad) Bowl Sunday

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.

Mediterranean Cooking – Paula Wolfert

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)

Romaine lettuce

1 orange

Just one will do – sometimes I use 2 clementines

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

Sugar

Pinch each of salt and cinnamon

salt (this is kosher, which is what I usually use)

You’ll want the powdery stuff

2 tsp orange juice

If you don’t have orange juice on hand – juice an orange – then you’ll need 2 oranges

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

These are smoked almonds – what you have, what you like

1. Wash, dry and shred lettuce.
2.  Peel orange and separate into sections.
3. Mix lemon juice, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange juice and orange flower water together.
4. 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.
5. Dust with a little more cinnamon.
6. Serve at once.

Adapted from Paula Wolfret Mediterranean Cooking. 1994, rev. ed. p. 287.