Fennel and orange is a winning combo. Amplify that aniseed-flavour with the sweetness and bitterness from a blood orange and you have yourself a champion salad. I like to bulk mine up with quinoa, but go ahead and take liberties here. Ready to meet your latest addiction? I can’t get enough of this fennel and blood orange summer salad.
Ingredients (2 people):
- One fennel bulb
- One blood orange ( a grapefruit would also be delicous)
- 3 heaped tablespoons of cooked quinoa (I like to cook a batch and keep it for a day or two to add to salads)
- Some mixed leaves – I like a mix of bitter leaves with butter lettuce
- A glug of apple cider vinegar
- A glug of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method:
Trim the tops off your fennel bulb and either discard, or use as the base of a soup or pasta sauce. Cut your bulb in half lengthways and then thinly slice into slivers – the thinner the slices the better it blends into the salad. Pop your sliced fennel into a large bowl.
Peel your blood orange and tear each segment into 3 sections adding to the fennel ( I like to tear the segments over the bowl so that excess juices can form part of the dressing).
Add 3 heaped tablespoons of quinoa, a good glug of olive oil, apple cider vinegar and a grind of salt and pepper. Toss and serve alongside a piece of roasted salmon or some crispy chickpeas for protein.
