Blood Orange, Walnut, and Manchego Salad with Champagne and Honey Vinaigrette

By Amy Traverso

Apr 17 2017

Blood Orange, Walnut and Manchego Salad

Photo Credit : Elizabeth Poisson

Filming Weekends with Yankee was one peak experience after another. We visited the most beautiful places in New England, ate incredible food, and went behind the scenes to meet the talented and hard-working farmers, makers, and chefs who make this region such a wonderful place to live and eat.

One highlight: spending the day aboard the J&E Riggin, a 1927 two-masted schooner that was originally built as an oyster ship but now ferries passengers on multiday cruises around Penobscot Bay in Maine. Captains John Finger and Annie Mahle are the hosts, and Annie, a professionally trained chef, has earned the Riggin a reputation as the ultimate windjammer cruise for food lovers. During our cruise, she prepared several dishes on her cast-iron Atlantic Fisherman wood stove, including a marinated roasted pork loin and this savory-sweet salad with citrus and Manchego cheese.

Any type of orange will work well in this salad, which balances a range of sweet, tangy, bitter, salty, and nutty flavors.

Yield:

4 servings

Ingredients

1 small head radicchio, cored and cut into 1- or 2-inch pieces; about 3 cups loosely packed
1 medium head butter lettuce, cored and torn into 2-inch pieces; about 4 cups loosely packed
1/2 cup champagne and honey vinaigrette (see recipe below)
3 blood oranges (or other orange of your choice)
2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 ounces shaved Manchego cheese; about 1/2 cup

Instructions

Wash radicchio and lettuce in cold water and dry well. With a sharp knife, trim the peel from the oranges and then separate the segments from the membrane. Squeeze the membrane to extract any juice and reserve for vinaigrette. Just before serving, place the lettuces in a large bowl and with your hands gently toss with the vinaigrette (you won’t need to use all of it). Add the oranges and walnuts and then sprinkle the cheese on top.

Champagne and Honey Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons blood orange juice
1/2 cup canola oil

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except the oil in a blender or food processor and whirl until combined well. Add the oil drop by drop and then increase to a drizzle and then a stream. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Yield: 1 cup dressing