Generally I eat relatively close to home, shopping at my local market on the regular. We even source carrots and apples for our daily juice from the market down the road, picking up 20 lbs of each biweekly. It’s pretty amazing.
Lately, however, I feel I’m constantly being taunted with the incredible recipes inspired by the Winter citrus season down south. I mean, here we are stocking up on roots while others are enjoying the grapefruits. lemons, and blood oranges that the season brings. What’s a girl to do?
To be honest, I’m rather addicted to all things citrus right now. Perhaps it’s all those happy hours. A cocktail is a world better with fresh citrus and riming a glass with citrus peel is just about the best thing ever. I’ve even started leaving some of the peel on the citrus in our juice. It’s a game changer. Despite it’s hint of bitterness which I happen to enjoy, it brings a world more flavour to every juice.
So, I couldn’t help but follow suit and hit those Winter salads with some citrus. It’s everything you want in a salad in 5 easy ingredients – crunchy fennel so mild you’ll forget you ever thought you hated it, tart grapefruit, peppery arugula, sweet honey, and slightly bitter olive oil to bring it all together. Not that this salad can get any better, but some sliced avocado would also be right at home.
This recipe is also not a recipe at all. A perfect picture of how we cook in the eathalifax house. Sometimes a cookbook gets opened or a recipe gets searched but generally we simply cook. It’s a skill I thought everyone had, the ability to open the fridge or pantry and whip something up. I think we all do it to some degree – the spaghetti sauce your family has been making for years, the anything goes stir-fry, or even the meat and potatoes we all grew up on. But with more and more convenience foods and commercials telling us not to cook, are we losing what was once an essential skill?
I think it’s time we all get back in the kitchen. No easier motivation than a ridiculously easy fennel, grapefruit & arugula salad that brightens even the darkest of Winter days.
- 1 grapefruit
- 1/4 - 1/2 head of fennel bulb
- 2 cups or more arugula
- honey
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Peel the grapefruit and slice into rounds or sections. Thinly shave the fennel using a mandolin or a knife. I love the thinness achieved with a mandolin and, if you can get you hands on one, it will soon become a kitchen staple. Layer or toss together the grapefruit, arugula and fennel. Drizzle with honey, olive oil, and any excess grapefruit juice pooled on the cutting board. Season with salt and pepper.
- I imagine blood oranges, oranges or a combination of citrus would be delicious.
