Orange & fennel salad

By: Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi
From: Sicily
Serves: 4

This traditional Sicilian salad of fennel and orange is served all over the island. I like to add chicken as I think it makes a wonderful, light salad for lunch or on a hot summer’s night. Alternatively, serve the salad with grilled fish. Pick a strong-flavoured, fruity extra-virgin olive oil for this salad – it makes all the difference. Try to find Sicilian oranges, if you can, for their natural sweetness or choose blood oranges when in season.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
3	oranges
2	white fennel bulbs, woody ends and tough outer leaves removed, finely sliced
4 tablespoons	extra-virgin olive oil
small handful	pistachios, roughly chopped
small handful	of wild fennel or dill sprigs
	salt
	freshly ground black pepper
handful	pitted green olives, roughly chopped, (optional)
1/2	green chilli, finely chopped, (optional)

Method

Peel 2 of the oranges and cut out the segments. Do this over a bowl to catch the juices. Cut the remaining orange into very thin slices. Put all the ingredients into the bowl and season to taste. Arrange on a serving platter and decorate with the orange slices.