I eat avocados like it’s my job. Well, sometimes it is my job. I adore them. Looooove them. I just can’t stop. Usually I eat them plain, scooped out of their skins with a squeeze of lime, a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Heaven. Paired with Rancho Gordo pot beans, some fresh salsa and Massa Organic brown rice, absolute perfection.
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With the glorious bounty of citrus at the market these days it seems I’m constantly making this salad. A blood orange here; a grapefruit, maybe a Cara Cara or a Tangelo, whatever I can get my hands on. The lettuce is the same, mache, radicchio, arugula, watercress…whatever is fresh and available. The one thing I can’t skimp on is the hazelnuts. I love hazelnuts from Trufflebert Farms in Oregon. Big, meaty, and full of flavor, they really tie the salad together. For a salt component, add bacon lardons, prosciutto or a nice aged pecorino. It’s up to you!
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Mixed Citrus and Avocado Salad with Hazelnuts
Serves 4
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A handful of hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped.
A few handfuls of lettuce: whatever looks good at the market. I like watercress, mache, radicchio, or wild arugula. Or mix them all together!
2-3 kinds of citrus: grapefruit, blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges or tangelos
8-12 slices of prosciutto, or 1/2 cup of fried bacon lardons, or 8-12 wafer thin slices of pecorino
2 ripe avocados such as haas, fuerte, bacon or pinkerton
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For the dressing:
1 T dijon mustard
1 T finely chopped shallot
2 T sherry vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T hazelnut oil
1 T chopped parsley
First, make the dressing. Combine the mustard, shallot and sherry vinegar in a bowl or large measuring cup, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil, followed by the hazelnut oil. Emulsify, then set aside.
For the salad, wash and dry your lettuces. Peel the citrus, removing all the pith, then cut out the segments over a large bowl to catch all the juice. Halve, stone and peel the avocados, cut them into slices and add to the citrus. Add the citrus mixture to the washed lettuces and gently toss with your hands.
Give the dressing a quick whisk and drizzle it over the salad, toss lightly, and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Arrange the salad on plates, either folding in prosciutto, the bacon or pecorino. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts and serve.
I eat avocados like it’s my job. Well, sometimes it is my job. I adore them. Looooove them. I just can’t stop. Usually I eat them plain, scooped out of their skins with a squeeze of lime, a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Heaven. Paired with Rancho Gordo pot beans, some fresh salsa and Massa Organic brown rice, absolute perfection.
.
With the glorious bounty of citrus at the market these days it seems I’m constantly making this salad. A blood orange here; a grapefruit, maybe a Cara Cara or a Tangelo, whatever I can get my hands on. The lettuce is the same, mache, radicchio, arugula, watercress…whatever is fresh and available. The one thing I can’t skimp on is the hazelnuts. I love hazelnuts from Trufflebert Farms in Oregon. Big, meaty, and full of flavor, they really tie the salad together. For a salt component, add bacon lardons, prosciutto or a nice aged pecorino. It’s up to you!
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Citrus Salad with Avocado, Hazelnuts, and Prosciutto
Serves 4
recipe by Rachael Sheridan
photos by Amy Sheridan
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A handful of hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped.
A few handfuls of lettuce: whatever looks good at the market. I like watercress, mache, radicchio, or wild arugula. Or mix them all together!
2-3 kinds of citrus: grapefruit, blood oranges, Cara Cara oranges or tangelos
8-12 slices of prosciutto, or 1/2 cup of fried bacon lardons
8-12 wafer thin slices of pecorino
2 ripe avocados such as haas, fuerte, bacon or pinkerton
.
For the dressing:
1 T dijon mustard
1 T finely chopped shallot
2 T sherry vinegar
3 T hazelnut oil
1 T chopped parsley
.
First, make the dressing. Combine the mustard, shallot and sherry vinegar in a bowl or large measuring cup, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil, followed by the hazelnut oil. Emulsify, then set aside.
.
For the salad, wash and dry your lettuces. Peel the citrus, removing all the pith, then cut out the segments over a large bowl to catch all the juice. Halve, stone and peel the avocados, cut them into slices and add to the citrus. Add the citrus mixture to the washed lettuces and gently toss with your hands.
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Give the dressing a quick whisk and drizzle it over the salad, toss lightly, and adjust the seasoning to your taste. .
Arrange the salad on plates, either folding in prosciutto or bacon. Sprinkle with the chopped hazelnuts, pecorino and serve.
Hey I just saw this and thought you might like to enter this recipe contest! Your recipes does show how adaptable the avocado is! I love hazelnuts and would not have thought to put them with avos. See the line between by job and passion for good food is blurred! Best B Twitter @bronacos