Composing a blood orange salad

We’re planting some citrus trees in our yard, one of which will be a blood orange tree. Until we have access to our own, I’m happy to find them in local markets–and now is the season! We brought some home over the weekend and it made me want to repost one of my favorite, simple salads: bitter greens, sweet citrus, and a sharp (slightly salty) cheese. In this case, I’ve paired blood oranges with arugula, spinach, and Manchego.

Though I’ve left the peels on here, that’s for presentation only. For ease of eating, trim the rinds and bitter pith: slice the stem and blossom end of the orange and then follow the contour of the fruit and carve off the rind in segments, working top to bottom and rotating the fruit as you go. Then slice the remaining fruit thinly. Making these pinwheels is a messy affair, but the salad will be prettier than had you tossed in uncut wedges. Add the cheese–parmesan works well, but a sharp cheddar or a Manchego would also be delicious. Drizzle with olive or nut oil, and add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. So simple, so good–and so pretty.

What are your favorite salad combinations?

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