Citrus Changeup

Private chef TOSHA GUTHERIDGE’s salad recipe is a simple but colorful way  to usher in warmer days.

“The vibrant colors, crisp textures, and bright, refreshing flavors remind me of spring. It brings a bright, sunny, energetic feel to the table. I love to serve seared sea scallops with it as a first course,” says Gutheridge, owner and chef of Petit a Petit by Chef Tosha (cheftosha.com and instagram.com/cheftosha.petitapetit).

“Blood oranges are at their peak in late winter and early spring, making them a natural bridge between the two seasons,” she adds.

Gutheridge, who is classically French trained and has been a chef since 2010, has been a private chef for about four years locally, when she started her own business, which ranges from private dinners and events to in-home meal prep, cooking classes, and vacation meals for her clients throughout the region.

She describes her menu focuses as fresh and classic – “simple but delicious food,” she says. “I love using the fresh seafood that we have available to us here in coastal North Carolina.”

Shaved Fennel + Blood Orange Salad

INGREDIENTS

1 medium/large fennel bulb (stems removed, save fennel fronds)

½ small red onion

3 oranges: blood, Cara Cara, navel, etc. (segmented or rounds)

(optional) 1 orange for juice for dressing (about ¼ cup)

3-4 cups baby salad greens (baby spinach and arugula or baby spring mix)

¼ cup pistachios (roasted, salted, and chopped/sliced)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

(optional) fresh mint, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Cut the fennel bulb in half and take out the core, leaving the bulb in half. Thinly slice on a mandolin to get thin, flexible fennel pieces.

Cut a little of the top and bottom of oranges to expose fruit, and using a sharp knife from top to bottom following the rounded sides of orange, cut the peel and pith away. You can then cut in thin rounds or segments.

Cut along both sides of each inner membrane at a small angle to release clean, pith-free segments.

Squeeze juice out of the membrane for dressing or use the juice of an orange for the dressing.

Thinly shave red onion on a mandolin or with a knife.

Chop or slice pistachios for the top of salad.

DRESSING

In a small mixing bowl, add the red wine vinegar and juice from the orange, and whisk. Slowly add extra virgin olive oil and whisk it as you go.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. If needed, you can add more acidity with fresh lemon juice or honey for sweetness. I add a little chiffonade of fresh mint to the dressing.

BRING IT ALL TOGETHER

In a salad bowl, add the baby greens, shaved fennel, and red onion. Gently fold together. Mix in a little dressing at a time and add salt and pepper to taste. The greens and fennel are delicate, so be careful not to overdress, or it will get soggy.

Arrange gently on a platter, trying to build volume, add in orange segments or rounds, sprinkle with pistachios on top, and top with fennel fronds and mint for garnish.

To view more of photographer Megan Deitz’s work, go to megandeitz.com.

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