Orange and Date Salad from "Plenty More"

I admittedly have been slacking on posting delicious meals, recipes or wines. And I wish I could say that there have been a lot of fabulous creations coming out of my kitchen. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. Work and travel have made it difficult for me to spend time at home, in the kitchen, and sharing fabulous creations. It's a bummer when work gets in the way of play!

Luckily a holiday popped up on the calendar and was able to take me out of my cooking/posting rut. Thanks Easter. I could play on shared concept of "revival" but focusing on the food is probably more PC.

Growing up, Easter tradition involved a spiral-sliced ham and JELL-O Easter eggs. Certainly there were more dishes in the mix but these are the two staples that I recall consistently showing up on our dinner table. I was always in charge of making the JELL-O eggs which were basically JELL-O Jigglers that were shaped liked Easter eggs  - just another example of the Sugermeyer family letting dessert creep onto the dinner table.

Nowadays, JELL-O eggs no longer show up at Easter time. Instead, Derek and I look forward to our new "grown-up" Easter tradition: Lamb.

To me, the basic flavor of lamb has a touch sweetness and a hint of warm spices. These nuances make the protein a beautiful fit for a Moroccan inspired meal - a beautiful mixture of fresh herbs and warm spices. So think holidays (spices) meet summer (fresh herbs). It's a beautiful marriage.

In the spirit of freshness, I went looking for a complimentary dish that incorporated these Moroccan inspired flavored but swayed heavier on the "fresh" than on the "warm." Ottolenghi with his inspired Plenty More cookbook did not disappoint me. To no surprise, he has several dishes that are heavy on the herbs and artfully incorporate unique spices and textures.

My selection to compliment the Easter lamb meal was: Orange and Date Salad

From the name alone you get a burst of freshness and acidity from the orange paired with a deeply sweet and chewy date. Add in a myriad of fresh herbs - cilantro, mint, parsley - and a spice-forward dressing and you have a complex yet fresh compliment for a lamb dinner.

Orange and Date Salad 
page 23 in Plenty More
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 5 medium oranges (2 1/4 lb/1 kg in total; about 3 cups/500 g after peeling and slicing)
• 3 large Medjool dates, pitted and quartered lengthwise (2 oz/60 g)
• 4 oz/120 g radishes, sliced paper-thin
• 1/3 small red onion, very thinly sliced into rings (1/3 cup/30 g)
• 3 cups/60 g arugula
• 1 oz/30 g Lollo Rosso lettuce (2-3 leaves), torn into 1 1/4-inch/3-cm pieces
• 1 cup/15 g cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup/15 g flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup/15 g mint leaves, coarsely torn

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• (optional) 1.5 tsp honey

Directions:

1. To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, orange blossom water, cinnamon, and fennel seeds. Add the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a generous grind of pepper and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
2. Using a small, sharp serrated knife, slice off the top and tail of each orange. Cut down the sides of each orange, following its natural curve, to remove the skin and white pith. Cut crosswise into slices 1/4 inch/5 mm thick and remove the seeds.
3. Put the oranges, dates, radishes, onion, arugula, lettuce, cilantro, parsley, and mint in a large salad bowl. Stir the dressing and pour it over the salad. Gently stir everything together, pile into a large but shallow bowl, and serve.

Tips:

• If you can't find Lollo Rosso lettuce, you can use any mild leaf lettuce such as red-leaf (that's what I used)
• Orange blossom water is often found in the international aisles or near the baking/sweetener section. It has an incredibly perfume-like scent which will likely appear familiar to you even though you've likely never purchased or individually consumed the ingredient. If you can't find it - just use some orange juice and zest with a touch of honey.
• I found the dressing to be a bit too heavy on the spices without a needed balance. I added a touch of honey and that did the trick.
• When segmenting the oranges, do so over a bowl so you save the juices. You don't want the juices sitting in the greens of the salad but they are a nice addition to the dish. So separate the "fallen juice" from the orange segments and add the orange juice to the dressing. Then dress the salad to taste but I'd go on the light side for this with all of the delicate herbs - you don't want a soggy salad.

This was quite delicious. I was skeptical when I tasted the dressing by itself as it was a bit "harsh." However, when mixed in with the fresh oranges, peppery radishes and sweet dates - it worked!

I should have known - Ottolenghi does not steer me wrong.

And just so you know - while Easter is no longer ham and JELL-O eggs for me - I still have a strong tie to my childhood in the fact that my parents still send me an "Easter" basket. I guess you are never too old for for some traditions. :)