‘This is a lovely refreshing salad which I like to serve when the new season of oranges from Italy and dates from Morocco arrive in the shops in December. I scramble around in the garden trying to find a few surviving mint leaves to freshen it up. If the mint has all been scorched by the frost, I just use a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. This dish can be served on its own with perhaps a little yoghurt.’
The ingredients
Orange flower or orange blossom water is a perfumed distillation from the fresh blossoms of Seville oranges and can b3e found in good food shops and chemists.
Serves 4 – 6
5 oranges
1 tablespoon caster sugar or 1 dessertspoon honey
12 dates
2 tablespoons orange flower water
1 tablespoon mint leaves
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (optional)
Method
Remove the zest from one of the oranges with a fine grater or a Microplane. Juice the zested orange and put into a bowl with the zest. With a sharp knife, remove the skin and pith from the remaining oranges. Slice or segment the oranges and add to the juice and zest with the caster sugar or honey.
Halve the dates lengthways, remove the stones and add to the oranges. Sprinkle on the orange flower water. Chop the mint leaves and gently mix all the ingredients together, being careful not to break up the orange pieces. If using the pomegranate seeds, add now. Cover and chill before serving.
This recipe appears in ‘Master It: How to Cook Today’
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