Thursday, February 11, 2010

the savory to your sweet


this is a tasty and slightly savory way to incorporate fruit into the dinnertime meal, and to take advantage of  all the winter citrus fruits at your fingertips.  this recipe calls for mint, but you can use any herb that you like, basil, tarragon or thyme would all work well.  Kelly made this and I enjoyed every last bite.



MIXED CITRUS SALAD
adapted from smitten kitchen
3 to 4 tablespoons red onion, cut into tiny bits
4 pieces of citrus, mix grapefruits and oranges
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons (1.5 ounces) feta cheese, chopped or crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped or cut into tiny slivers

Place your red onion in the bottom of a medium bowl, this is to catch the juices as you prepare the fruit. Nest a strainer over the bowl. Cutting off all the peel until it is white free. Cut the fruit into 1/4-inch thick wheels, removing any seeds and thick white stem as you do. Place the wheels and any collected juices from the cutting board in the strainer over the bowl with onion. Repeat with remaining citrus fruits.

Spread the fruit slices out on a platter. Scoop out the onion bits (a slotted spoon or fork does the trick) and sprinkle them over, leaving the juice in the bowl. Whisk one tablespoon of juice (this is all I had accumulated) with red wine vinegar or lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the citrus, sprinkle with feta and mint, adjust salt and pepper to taste.