blood orange, date, parmesan, and almond salad

You may recall from last week’s post that I had a dinner party on the horizon. One involving hors d’oeuvres, a winter squash risotto, desserts, and copious amounts of wine.

And, there was this salad of blood oranges, dates, Parmesan, and almonds, a recipe from Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

It’s a salad I’ve made before. One I enjoy for its simplicity and its beauty, for its contrasting flavors and its lively bursts of color. The peppery bite of arugula, the salty Parmigiano, the crunchy almonds, the sweet dates, and the juicy blood oranges makes for a delicious winter salad that is perfect for a holiday dinner party. Or, even lunch at the office.

The key is to purchase fresh, good quality ingredients. Of course, you always want fresh, good quality ingredients whenever you cook, but in the case of a raw salad such as this one, the caliber of ingredients is particularly important.

So, go ahead, make a trip to your local farmer’s market, fill your tote with almonds, dates, blood oranges, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and arugula, and make this salad for yourself, for your friends, or for your family. It will, without a doubt, brighten up the holidays.

Blood Oranges, Dates, Parmesan, and Almonds (from Sunday Suppers at Lucques)

1/2 cup raw almonds
15 Deglet Noor dates
4 large blood oranges
1/4-lb hunk Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 oz arugula
3 tbsp pure almond oil
Fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Spread the almonds on a baking sheet, and toast 8 to 10 minutes, until they’re slightly darkened and smell nutty.

Cut the dates in half lengthwise and remove the pits.

Slice the stem and blossom ends from the blood oranges. Stand the blood oranges on one end and, following the contour of the fruit with your knife, remove the peel and white cottony pith. Work from top to bottom, rotating the fruit as you go. Slice each orange thinly, into 8 to 10 pinwheels.

Place the Parmigiano-Reggiano, flat side down, on a cutting board. Using a chef’s knife, shave eighteen large thin slices of cheese from the hunk.

Scatter one-third of the arugula on a large platter. Arrange one-third of the oranges, dates, cheese, and nuts. Scatter another layer of arugula, and continue layering in the same manner, letting the ingredients intertwine together but not pile up on one another. Drizzle the almond oil over the salad, and season lightly with fleur de sel, pepper, and a squeeze of blood orange juice.

Note: I substituted good quality extra virgin olive oil for the almond oil. I particularly enjoy Nicolas Alziari’s extra virgin olive oil. 

Tagged as: almonds, arugula, blood orange, dates, parmigiano, salad, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, Suzanne Goin