Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Winter Citrus Salad With Shrimp,Goat Cheese And Beets



It seems everywhere I turn in the blogosphere, or in the world of printed media, there is yet another recipe for a citrus salad.  If it's January/February in the world of food, it is citrus.  Nothing else is as exciting as oranges, pomelos or grapefruit, or variations thereof.  No more soups...that is so January.   So here's Lindaraxa's take, and that's just because she found herself cleaning her refrigerator in the middle of a major ice storm, and a citrus salad in February is de rigeur.

I don't know about you, but I have this wonderful can opener, made by a German company, that opens a can and pretty much seal it at the same time.  Things stay fresher that way and, right now, I find myself with lots of sealed cans in the refrigerator that have to be dealt with... like mandarin oranges, Le Seur peas and beets.

It is freezing today, this is Georgia, and we have already two inches of snow on the ground where I live.  Nobody is going to work, and that includes my daughter.  Lunchtime is approaching and I want to make something special, for lunch, on a snowy day, for my daughter.   So here's killing two birds with one stone:




Citrus Salad With Shrimp, Goat Cheese And Beets

Lunch For Two

Ingredients:

1  large navel orange, mandarin or  tangelo
2 hard boiled eggs
6 steamed shrimp
8 black imported (kalamata) black olives, pitted

Vinaigrette

½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 heaping teaspoon freshly chopped fresh cilantro, or more

1 head, or more, Butter Lettuce
Thin slices of red onion
Pickled sliced red beets
1/2 cup goat cheese
thinly sliced red pepper
chick peas (optional)

Directions:

Trim off the ends of the orange, mandarin or tangelo. Peel them, then cut into quarter inch slices and put them in a mixing bowl. Add the olives and steamed shrimp.

To make the vinaigrette, place the garlic, vinegar and oil, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper in a small jar with a tight lid and shake well. Pour half the vinaigrette over the oranges, shrimp and olives and toss well.

In a big salad bowl, break the lettuce leaves in medium bites, add the red onion, beets, sliced red peppers and chick peas (if using) and toss well.  Add the shrimp, orange mix, the additional vinaigrette and toss again.  Correct for seasonings and dressing.  Sprinkle the goat cheese and the hard boiled eggs.

 Easily doubled or tripled. For a more formal lunch, add a hot soup to begin with and a crusty baguette.

Photos and recipe Lindaraxa

6 comments:

  1. What a gorgeous salad and I love anything with shrimp or citrus. We just had house guests and one had a citrus allergy. I didn't realize until I started to plan meals how much citrus I use in our food. It was very hard not to reach for a lemon or lime to sprinkle on something.

    I saw your weather report and am glad to see you are home and warm. My New York BIL who lives north of you where we are in the summer doesn't understand that the South does not "do" snow and will probably venture out anyway. I told him I wasn't worried about him, I was worried about the other people who don't know how to drive in that kind of weather. Stay warm and enjoy that scrumptious salad.
    Sam

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    1. I must use a lemon or lime a day. Of course some of that goes on my vodka on the rocks every afternoon!

      I've lived most of my life in NY or Ct and keep telling those people it's not the snow but the ice, to no avail. It's like a skating rink outside. Supposed to get more later this pm. we'll see. As long as we don't lose power I am happy

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  2. OMG are you in for another bad one. Do hope lights stay and vodka poured. It's taken us a week to get over the 14 inch snow of last week. And you are so right about the ice. Stay warm and safe. Love the combination of oranges and black olives on anything.

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    1. Both are on and poured...although I cheated tonight with a great red Bordeaux.

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  3. Lucky daughter to have such a lovely lunch made and served!!! I had left over pizza. We have mainly snow but now it's sleeting, and of course, there is absolutely no plowing anywhere around here…..so we will sit it out tomorrow. I think it's supposed to be 70 by this time next week? Can't wait!!!!

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  4. Maybe a bloody mary in the morning and go back to bed. Especially if the power is out!
    Thanks for the salad inspiration, I already knew about the vodka rocks...

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