Blood orange and radicchio salad

January is cold and grey but her table is not. Like a phoenix from the ashes citrus brings colour back to the kitchen in the form of Meyer lemons, naval oranges, chirpy satsumas and my favourite – blood oranges. The blissful paring of bitter leaves and blood orange is no secret and this salad is so simple I worried for one moment whether it was too basic to share. In the end my taste buds got the better of me so here it is. The dressing is zippy and fragrant with a sweet sour tang and the salad is delicious as is but goes down very well with a little soft cheese too – burrata or buffalo mozzarella would be my choice. Enjoy this on the side of any vegetarian, fish or meat course or even a simple bowl of pasta. It’s sure to brighten up any damp spirits.

Ingredients

| Serves 4 |

• 1 tsp whole coriander seeds

• 2tbsp pomegranate molasses

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp cider vinegar

• 2 blood oranges

• 1 radicchio lettuce

• small bunch of mint

Method

• In a dry pan toast your whole coriander seeds over a medium heat for about three to five minutes – they should begin to smell fragrant but make sure they don’t burn. Transfer to a pestle and mortar crush until you have a varied textured course mix.

• Transfer to a small bowl or jar along with the pomegranate molasses, olive oil and cider vinegar. Using a fork whisk to combine.

• Peel your radicchio leaves (tearing any very large leaves in half) and place into your salad bowl.

• To prepare the blood oranges slice the top and base so that you have a flat bottom and work your way around the oranges to remove the peel and as much of the pith as you can. Turn the skinless fruit on its side and slice into roughly 5mm rounds.

• Pour half of your dressing over the radicchio and toss to coat. Arrange your blood orange slices over the top and pour over the remaining dressing. Sprinkle over a few mint leaves and serve.