Citrus Salad

Spring is around the corner but we’re still enjoying the bounty of winter citrus fruit! Layered, nuanced flavors of briny green olive, fresh blood orange, red onion, fragrant basil, lemon, and mint make this gluten free & vegan salad a crunchy and delicious lunch or 1st course. 6 servings.

Easy Ingredients:

· 2 cups Villa Graziella Organic white balsamic vinegar di Modena

· ½ cup Villa Graziella Organic extra virgin olive oil + extra to taste

· ½ cup water

· ¼ cup pitted green olives, quartered

· ¼ cup pistachios

· 1 tablespoon sugar in the raw

· 1 ½ teaspoon coarse, flaked sea salt, separated

· 1 small red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise

· 3 medium blood oranges

· 3 medium oranges-Jaffa, navel, Seville, or Valencia

· 2 medium grapefruits-pink, red, or white

· 2 teaspoons Meyer lemon or lemon zest

· 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

· ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

· 5 fresh basil leaves loosely chopped

· 5 fresh mint leaves loosely chopped

Simple Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine white balsamic vinegar, sugar and ½ teaspoon of sea salt, cover, and cook over medium high heat until boiling.

2. Remove the saucepan from heat, add sliced onions and cover the saucepan.

3. Allow the covered onion mixture to rest 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate up to 24 hours.

4. As onions rest, shell and toast pistachios in a sauté pan until lightly toasted. Cool pistachios, place in a plastic bag and pound into chopped pieces. Remove from the plastic bag and set aside.

5. Peel and slice blood oranges into circles and set on a large dish or platter.

6. Peel and segment oranges and grapefruit, arrange on the platter with orange circles.

7. Sprinkle the fruit with lemon zest and lemon juice, then crushed red pepper and the remaining teaspoon of sea salt.

8. Remove 1/4 cup of pickled onions from the saucepan with a slotted spoon, arrange onions over the fruit.

9. Add olives and pistachios to the fruit platter, then drizzle half cup of olive oil on top.

10.Sprinkle with fresh basil and mint leaves, serve & enjoy!

Helpful Hints:

· Mix your on-hand citrus; grapefruit, clementines or tangerines for a vibrant combination with blood oranges.

· Reserve remaining onions in the pickling juice in a tightly closed glass jar or container and refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

· Add remaining onion to a grain & veggie bowl for dinner.

· Add remaining basil and mint to a smoothy or hot tea.

· Substitute pistachios with chopped walnuts or slivered almonds.

· Serve citrus on a bed of arugula lettuce, sliced avocado and dates for a meatless main course.

To download this recipe click here

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