ORANGE, FENNEL AND OLIVE SALAD

Makes 8 servings

You can easily increase or decrease this salad by a few servings depending on the number of quests: just allow one orange per person.

8 navel oranges

2 medium-sized fennel bulbs or 3-4 baby fennel bulbs, washed

4 eschalots, finely diced or cut into thin slices

10 kalamata olives, halved and pitted

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper


1. Peel the oranges; cut each orange in half along its equator and then into quarters. Thinly slice each quarter and place into a large bowl along with any juice that might have collected on the cutting board.

2. Remove the fennel bulbs’ green stalks and any bruised or discoloured outer leaves. With a sharp knife, slice across each bulb as thinly as possible, or use a mandoline. Add the fennel slices to the bowl with the oranges, along with the eschalot and olives.

3. ln a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the orange mixture and toss gently. Use tongs to transfer the salad to a shallow serving bowl or platter. Sprinkle the salad with cracked pepper.


Crack peppercorns by wrapping them in a few layers of plastic wrap and pounding them on a cutting board with a tenderising mallet or hammer.