Salads
Insalata di Finocchi e Arance (Sicilian Fennel and Orange Salad)
Insalata di finocchi e arance is a classic Sicilian salad of thinly sliced fennel and oranges, dressed with olive oil, salt, and black pepper, with black olives. It is the contrast of sweet, juicy orange and crisp, anise-scented fennel — bright and refreshing. It comes from Sicily, where most of Italy's citrus is grown, and the orange salad is a legacy of the Arab rule of the island (9th-11th centuries): it was the Arabs who brought citrus into Sicilian cooking. It is a winter dish, since oranges (especially blood oranges, tarocchi) are in season in winter, served as an antipasto or contorno through the cold months. The salad is a fine example of Sicilian agrodolce, sweet and salty: the sweetness of the orange balanced by salty black olives and crisp fennel. Technical keys: peel the oranges to the flesh, cutting away the bitter white pith; slice the fennel very thinly; let the acidity come from the orange, not vinegar; black olives for the agrodolce contrast; blood oranges for the classic Sicilian version; and good fruity olive oil, since there are few ingredients. Save the orange juice that runs out — it is the base of the dressing. Serve at room temperature, the best winter citrus, sliced thin, with excellent oil.
🌱Vegan⚡Quick🌾Gluten-free
★4.6