Butter Lettuce and Tangerine Salad

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Serves

Introduction

One of the jewels of winter fruit is the satsuma tangerine. Satsumas are seedless, easy to peel, sweet, and succulent. Paired with butter lettuce and a citrus vinaigrette, the tangerines make a delightful addition to our Christmas dinner.

Ingredients

	10	cups butter lettuce leaves (see Cook’s Notes)
	1	small fennel bulb (about 10 ounces), tops removed, cored, and cut into matchstick strips (see Cook’s Notes)
	1	small red bell pepper (about 4 ounces), seeded, deveined, and cut into matchstick strips
	4	satsuma tangerines

Dressing

	½	cup extra-virgin olive oil
	⅓	cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 orange)
	2	Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
	¾	tsp. salt
	1	tsp. granulated sugar
	~	Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
	2	Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Steps

Rinse lettuce leaves and dry well in a salad spinner or with paper towels. In a large mixing bowl (the bigger the better, for tossing salad), combine lettuce, fennel, and bell pepper. Set aside until ready to serve. Peel tangerines and remove any white pith clinging to fruit. Separate into sections and set aside.
To make dressing, in a 2-cup glass measure, combine olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and a few grinds of pepper. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if desired. Set aside until serving.
To assemble salad, add tangerine sections to bowl of lettuce. Add parsley to dressing, stir dressing well, and pour over salad. Toss well and divide among individual salad plates.

Notes

We like to keep the butter lettuce as whole leaves for an attractive presentation. You certainly can tear them into bite-sized pieces if you prefer. If butter lettuce is unavailable, use green leaf red leaf or a mixture of both.
In all cases, be sure lettuce is dried well. The dressing does not adhere to wet lettuce.
If you are unfamiliar with fresh fennel, then you are in for a taste treat. Fennel is similar in texture to celery and has a slight anise flavor. It is used raw in salads and can be braised, roasted, or grilled.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.