ORANGE AND FENNEL SALAD

Insalata d'arancia e finocchio

Rome-Lazio
Preparation - Easy
Serves 4

Romans especially like the astringency of oranges after pork. They often slice an orange or a lemon and dress it with olives and olive oil and serve it after a roast. A variation of the salad below, which has a lovely fresh clean taste, is to serve oranges (figuring about one half per serving) without the greens, dressed with salt, pepper, pitted black olives, and olive oil to taste.

1/2 head Bibb lettuce or escarole, washed and dried
2 1/2 cups fennel, trimmed, washed, dried, thinly sliced crosswise
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 orange, peel and pith removed

Tear the lettuce or escarole into bite-size pieces. Mix with the sliced fennel.
Add salt, pepper, and oil to taste.
Toss to mix well.
Slice the orange crosswise as thinly as possible, removing any seeds; then cover the salad with the orange slices.
Trickle a little more oil over the orange.
Salt and pepper lightly, and serve at once.

Source:
Italian Cooking in the Grand Tradition
Jo Bettoja and Anna Maria Cornetto
The Dial Press