Spinach Salad In Fresh Orange Dressing With Pine Nuts

This unique and complex spinach salad teases the palate, juxtaposing the peppery watercress with a refreshing orange vinaigrette. The warm salad mixture is topped with cool orange segments, and toasted pine nuts provide a novel accent. You can use white balsamic vinegar (which is sweeter and more delicate than regular balsamic), or you can substitute raspberry or any other of the wonderful fruit vinegars now on the market. For added appeal, garnish each serving with an orange wheel.

Type: Cheese, Eggs, Vegetables
Serves: 4 people

Recipe Ingredients

6		Navel oranges - chilled
4 cups	948ml	Trimmed spinach - - (1 lg bunch)
1 1/2 cups	355ml	Trimmed watercress
1 tablespoon	15ml	Pine nuts
1/3 cup	30g / 1.1oz	Minced shallot - - (2 or 3 lg shallots)
2		Garlic cloves - peeled, minced
5 tablespoons	75ml	White balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons	10ml	Sherry vinegar
		Freshly-ground black pepper - to taste

Recipe Instructions

Peel the oranges and remove the white pith. Over a bowl positioned to catch the juice, separate the segments of each orange from the membrane with a sharp knife, discarding the seeds, and set them aside. Squeeze the residual juice from the membranes into the bowl and reserve.

Combine the spinach and watercress in a mixing bowl.

Put the pine nuts in a small saute pan and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts are golden brown. transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl.

Put the shallots, garlic, vinegars, and reserved orange juice into the saute pan. Bring to a boil over low heat. Stir in the black pepper, then pour the dressing over the spinach and watercress. Toss to coat.

Arrange the mixture on salad plates, spoon orange segments atop each, and garnish with the pine nuts and, if you like, orange wheels.

This recipe yields 4 servings.

Source:
IN THE KITCHEN WITH ROSIE by Rosie Daley

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