Blood orange, radicchio & puy lentil salad
Blood oranges, radicchio, lentils, hazelnuts and leftover roast chicken. Colour to brighten the gloom and ready in moments.
There is nothing to eat.
Unless you want more parsnips. Or chard. And I’ve had my fill of those. So instead I’m turning to more accomplished growers at Riverford and Natoora for my seasonal fix - blood oranges flecked with pink and radicchio so beautiful they might have been hand-painted – both of which go well together and require nothing more than putting on a plate and eating.
Which is good because things are bu-sy.
As I’m sure they are for you too. I launched my new book, Rough Patch, last week (sorry to wang on about it, but it is very exciting to me) and with things this hectic suppers are in danger of becoming a litany of scrambled eggs or a hastily bolted bowl of cereal.
This salad then is ideal for such situations because it is simply a matter of bunging everything on a plate and devouring. And, like many winter salads, it is made delicious not by the skill of the chef but by the perfectly contrasting combinations of flavours and textures that make each mouthful satisfying.
And on that note…
Live cookery class: Winter Salads – 25th Feb 1pm (GMT)
The first topic for my new live cookery classes from the greenhouse will be winter salads. Ideas, inspiration, tips, tricks and a little bit of theory on what makes a great salad.
This is for paid subscribers will be live here on Substack (it’s just like Instagram Live, really). A replay will be shared afterwards. More info next week.
And whilst we’re on dates…
Do come for a chat this weekend when I’ll be sharing tasters from Rough Patch and signing copies:
Saturday 15th February, 10:30am - Nicholson’s plant nursery Oxfordshire: an informal cuppa, Q&A, Rough Patch reading and signing (free but register here).
Sunday 16th February - Bridewell Gardens Winter Wander open day: I’ll be signing books and chatting about Rough Patch (which features Bridewell).
Anyway, back to the harvests
Once you’ve made the salad recipe below, use any leftover blood oranges or radicchio for these little pops of colour to brighten a grey February day:
Radicchio & blood orange salad
More of an assembly job than a recipe, really. But more effort doesn’t always mean more taste, especially when dealing with wonderful fresh ingredients. This dish is all about the combination of interesting, seasonal flavours: sweet-but-sour blood oranges with bitter leaves. It is the work of moments yet anything but boring.
Serves 2
2 blood oranges
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g pouch cooked puy lentils (I like Merchant Gourmet)
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