Radicchio Salad with Raw Carrot, Toasted Pecans and Blood Orange Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup of champagne or white wine vinegar

1/4 cup of blood orange juice

1 tbsp of honey

1 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard

Zest from one blood orange

Sea salt

Black pepper

METHOD

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk to emulsify. A storage container with a well sealed lid also works well and can be shaken vigorously to achieve the same result. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside until needed.

Note: Depending on the sweetness of the orange juice, you may want to adjust the amount of vinegar and honey used in order to brighten/sweeten the dressing to your liking.

TO ASSEMBLE THE SALAD

Using a peeler, shave thumbelina carrots in a circular fashion to create ribbons and shock them briefly in an ice bath to ensure that they are crunchy and fresh. Gently pat the ribbons dry with a clean towel (or paper towel) and set them aside. Arrange leaves of radicchio on a plate or serving platter and scatter the carrot ribbons on top. Drizzle generously with the vinaigrette and top with slices (or supremes) of additional blood orange, toasted pistachio and julienned shallot.

Other nuts may be used, such as pistachio, walnut or hazelnut, depending on what’s most readily available. Cheese also makes a wonderful addition. We recommend a sweeter blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola Dolce, or a firmer, aged ricotta, such as Ricotta Salata.