recipe: quinoa with fennel and oranges
i have this menacing ornamental bowl of fresh oranges in my apartment, and the oranges have been begging me to put them to good use.
need a recipe for december orange season? well, fear not. ravi is here to the rescue. why not pair fennel and quinoa with fresh orange segments! it's seasonal, festive and tasty.
1 cup of cooked quinoa (1/2 cup dry quinoa, 1-1 1/2 cup water, boil for full 10-15 minutes, remove from heat and leave it covered for 10-20 minutes until the quinoa becomes plump), cooled
1 fennel bulb
2 cups of baby arugula
4 oranges
1 tspn of french mustard (full grain moutarde a l'ancienne)
2 tbspn of olive oil
1/2 lemon
sea salt (to taste)
1 half shallot
let's first start with the dressing: chop a shallot finely and combine with oil, 1/2 squeezed lemon and salt; set aside. in a large bowl, combine baby arugula, cooked quinoa and shaved fennel. i shave my fennel by either chopping it finely on the cutting board or running it through a mandolin, which may just be my favorite kitchen tool. mix with dressing. on a separate cutting board, extract the segments of 4 oranges. this youtube tutorial summarizes the technique for properly cutting orange segments. save the orange juices and mix into the fennel and greens. serve salad on plate with oranges layered on top.