I remember when in third grade my teacher told us the legend of the orange tree.
The orange tree was living in a beautiful island, a land surrounded by a clear blue sea where the sun often shone even in winter and it was never cold.
The Orange tree was always covered with green and glossy leaves.
In spring, on other trees sprouted small flowers, which then in summer turned into tasty fruits. When autumn arrived their leaves became yellow and started to fall.
In winter their branches were bare and sad.
The Orange tree instead, always had his leaves and he always wondered why his leaves would never fall. He wanted to offer something to the children who were playing in the meadow every day and every morning he hoped to at least see a small blossom. Some men watched its beautiful leaves and waiting for something colorful to grow out from its green surrounding.
One night, while everyone was asleep, the stars of the sky sprinkled a shiny, mystical powder that settled down on the branches of the poor, fruitless tree.
After a few days, a miracle happened, the tree sprouted beautiful fragrant white flowers that the sun’s rays then turned into a plentiful fruit that we now call the orange: the fruit perfectly round and with the color of the sun. The strange tree was happy and said to himself: – I waited so long but it was worth it!
How to make Orange Salad
There are two recipes of orange salads, one of which is very common and is prepared with fennel, black olives, and Tropea onion. It is often served as an appetizer, but it can also be a side dish for both meat and fish.
Another version is the orange salad with sardines or anchovies, a delicacy, a contrast of tastes- sweet and salty -which enhances the dish in a great way.
These two dishes can be combined which is commonly prepared in Sicily. I wanted to separate them because I love both dishes separately.
Sicilian Orange Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oranges medium-sized
- 1 small onion
- 2 tender small fennel bulb trimmed and thinly sliced
- black olives
- chopped parsley
- 3 fillets of sardines or anchovies in olive oil extra virgin
- a pinch of salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Fennel and Black Olives
- Peel the oranges and remove the bitter white part.
- Cut the oranges into slices and arrange them on a plate.
- Wash the fennel well.
- Cut the fennel in half and then into thin slices.
- Clean the onion and cut it into very thin slices.
- Prepare an emulsion by beating extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper together with a whisk or fork.
- Arrange the fennel, oranges, and Tropea onion slices on a plate. Garnish with black olives, season with the previously prepared emulsion, and a few drops of balsamic vinegar.
- Sardines or Anchovies
- Peel the oranges and remove the bitter white part.
- Cut the oranges into slices and arrange them on a plate.
- Mix oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl with sardines (fillet into small pieces), onions (cut into small pieces), chopped parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the mixture over the oranges and … Buon appetito!
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