Orange, onion, and basil salad

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
3 larges Or 4 small navel oranges
2 larges Or 3 small red onions sliced 1/8\" thick
1 small Turnip; julienned*
7½ tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
2 Rounded tb. pine nuts
2 To 3 cups fresh basil leaves unblemished
Salt

Directions

*Franklin Adams occasionally juliennes a small turnip and adds it to this salad. He says the flavor provides a nice surprise; the pink and white of the turnip a good color note.

Grate the zest from one of the oranges and place it in the bottom of a wide salad bowl. Without peeling, slice all the oranges about ¼ to ⅜ inch thick. Squeeze the juice from the end slices into the bowl over the zest. Remove any seeds, then remove the peel from each slice by laying it flat and turning it as you take a series of straight downward cuts, leaving no white pulp. Place the peeled slices in the bowl. Separate the onion slices into rings and add to the bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together 7 tb. of the olive oil, the vinegar, and some pepper. Pour this vinaigrette over the onion and orange slices. Toss gently, being careful not to break up the orange slices, until the oranges and onions are coated. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat the remaining ½ tb. of oil in a skillet; brown the pine nuts over medium heat until they are medium tan - don't allow them to blacken.

Wash and dry the basil. Chop the leaves if they are large; leave them whole if they are small. Just before serving, add the basil and pine nuts to the salad bowl, toss gently, and serve. Salt to taste.

From Franklin Adams/New Orleans, LA in "Cooking with Herbs" by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1989. Pg.

76. Posted by Cathy Harned.

Submitted By CATHY HARNED On 10-04-94

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