Recipe: Spinach Salad in Fresh Orange Dressing with Pine Nuts

Spinach Salad in Fresh Orange Dressing with Pine Nuts
Source: In the Kitchen with Rosie by Rosie Daley
Servings: 4

6 navel oranges -- chilled
4 cups spinach -- trimmed
1 1/2 cups watercress -- trimmed
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1/3 cup shallots -- minced
2 cloves garlic -- minced
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar -- white
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
freshly ground pepper

Peel the oranges and remove the white pith. Over a bowl positioned to catch the juice, separate the segments of each orange from the membrane with a sharp knife, discarding the seeds, and set them aside. Squeeze the residual juice from the membranes into the bowl and reserve.

Combine the spinach and watercress in a mixing bowl.

Put the pine nuts in a small saute' pan and cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts are golden brown. Transfer the pine nuts to a small bowl.

Put the shallots, garlic, vinegars and reserved orange juice into the saute' pan. Bring to a bowl over low heat. Stir in the black pepper (to taste), then pour the dressing over the spinach and watercress. Toss to coat.

Arrange mixture on salad plates, spoon orange segments atop each and garnish with the pine nuts and, if you like, orange wheels.

Making Orange Wheels

Slice an unpeeled orange into 1/4-inch rounds. Make a cute halfway
across each round, from the peel to the core, and twist the sides of the cut in opposite directions so that the top half of the round will stand upright when placed on the salad.