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My friend Annie talked about a salad she had as if it were her new best friend. She described it in detail: the crunch of its voice, its tangy personality, its unexpected freshness and with curiosity, like one, has when one is first in love: She wondered what other flavors it might have if mixed with an added ingredient.
Yesterday late afternoon French Husband, Chelsea and I stopped by Annie's to say hi. As we talked and drank our sparkling water with Pulco Annie jumped up with more energy than a five-year-old and said, "Corey I made the Orange Onion Salad, you gotta taste it!"
Now, that might not sound unusual, offering a taste of an Orange Onion Salad at five in the afternoon but let me tell you in France that is as rare as Martians coming over to visit. I knew at that moment that this salad had to have a real pull on Annie's French heartstrings.
Annie brought out the Orange Salad, handed me a spoon, not bothering to give me a plate. Love does that it makes you do things you would never think to do. I hesitated, doubting briefly the goodness of oranges with onions. The thought of it made me pucker my lips, though Annie's enthusiasm reassured me, I scooped a mouthful. The moment the Orange/Onion combo hit my taste buds I was smitten. "Who knew!" I exclaimed.
French Husband and Chelsea, as if I were Goldilocks, followed suit. We went home and made it for dinner.
Orange Onion Salad:
One large sweet white onion, thinly sliced. Marinate it with two or three tablespoons of olive oil, one or two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, Grey pepper with a hint of nutmeg. While this sets aside doing its thing,
Peel and skin, three large oranges peeled, then cut in thirds,
Mix the two together.
Serve as is, or over rice or on an avocado.
(My Friends over at Facebook: Clarice Fox-Hughes adds pistachios, and Mary Marsell-Farrell uses red onions, with raspberry vinaigrette instead.)
Have you had Orange Onion Salad or a variation of it?