Ingredients
- 2 pink grapefruits
- 5-1/2 oz mild, sweet radishes (preferably French Breakfast)
- 1 head of red Belgian endive
- 1 small fennel bulb
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and black pepper
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, ideally barrel-aged
- handful of crimson microgreens (if available)
- leaves from 5 sprigs of mint, torn
Directions
- To cut the grapefruits into segments, cut a slice from the bottom and top of each fruit so they have a flat bottom on which to sit. Using a sharp knife, cut the peel and pith off each grapefruit, working around the fruit and cutting the peel away in wide strips from top to bottom. Working over a bowl, slip a sharp, thin knife in between the membrane on each side of each segment and ease the segment out.
- Cut the leaves from the radishes (if they are really fresh and perky, set them aside to add to the salad). Trim off and discard the unsightly part from the bottom of each radish, then wash really well. Using a knife or a mandoline slicer, cut into wafer-thin slices.
- Discard any blemished outer leaves from the endive and cut the remaining leaves, lengthwise, into slices. Trim the tips from the fennel (keep any little feathery leaves for the salad) and quarter. Remove the tough outer layer of leaves and cut a little slice off the core. Again using a knife or mandoline slicer, cut the fennel into thin slices. As soon as you cut each piece, toss it with half the lemon juice (otherwise the fennel will discolor).
- Whisk together the rest of the lemon juice with the sugar, extra virgin oil, and salt and black pepper to make the dressing and taste.
- Arrange all the fruits and vegetables you’ve prepared on individual plates—or one large plate—and add the feta, the microgreens (if you’re able to get any), and the mint. Spoon the dressing on top and serve immediately.
Want more recipes from A Change of Appetite?
• Healthy Loaf Cake Recipe With Pitted Dates and Dried Apricots
• Japanese Soba Noodles Recipe
• Kale Pesto With Linguine Recipe
• Vegetable Fritters Recipe
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from A Change of Appetite: Where Healthy Meets Delicious by Diana Henry and published by Mitchell Beazley, 2014. Purchase this book from our store: A Change of Appetite.
When food writer Diana Henry had a change of appetite, and began craving less meat and heavy food, and more vegetable-, fish- and grain-based dishes, these are the dishes she served. Often inspired by the food of the Middle East and Far East, but also drawing on cuisines from Georgia to Scandinavia, the recipes in A Change of Appetite (Mitchell Beazley, 2014) are nothing less than fabulous. This Winter Salad Recipe With Grapefruit is from the section “Winter.”
You can purchase this book from the MOTHER EARTH NEWS store: A Change of Appetite.
Delicate and very pretty. You can increase the amount of feta cheese used, but it’s better not to mess about with this dish too much. It’s one of those salads where you taste every ingredient because it isn’t complicated. It does look wonderful if you can get microgreens, or find the seeds to grow them yourself (try www.Burpee.com). It’s easy. Really.
