STORY
Every December I throw a tree-trimming party. There is nothing I enjoy more than being surrounded by my friends and family during the holidays, and every year it never fails that my friend who claims to “hate” the holiday season the most is the best at decorating the tree. My decorations are mostly inherited from my mother, who is quite adept at decking her own halls. Some of the decorations aren’t even Christmas decorations (there are a few Easter bunnies, and Mardi Gras beads thrown in for good measure). There is even a lion in a poncho. Merriment ensues, and the menu I serve accentuates the mood.
This Christmas, I entertained very few carnivores, so I needed to prepare dishes that appealed to vegans and meat-lovers alike. Behold, the citrus, mint, and cilantro salad! A hybrid of Eastern and Western cuisine, this recipes marries flavors from Florida to South Asia. Citrus is at the peak of it’s season in the winter months, and when you combine mint, cilantro, peppers, and Mirin (a sweet rice wine, used as a condiment in Japanese cuisine) it makes for a fresh, mouth-watering, and spicy treat.
RECIPE
- Prep Time: 15 – 20 minutes
- Total Time: About 20 minutes
TOOLS
- 8-inch paring knife
- 1 small bowl
- 1 platter
INGREDIENTS
1 Pink Grapefruit
1 Naval Orange (or Blood Orange)
1 Clementine (or tangerine)
1/4 cup of Pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp of chopped mint
1 tbsp of chopped cilantro
1/4 red onion sliced thinly
1 bird’s eye pepper finely chopped (unseeded – be careful not to touch your eyes when removing the seeds)
1 1/2 tbsp of mirin
1/2 tsp of fresh black pepper
METHOD
- Peel skin off of grapefruit, orange, and clementine.
- Using a paring knife, carefully remove membrane from each section of each fruit. (This process takes patience.)
- Place citrus on platter, alternating grapefruit, orange, and clementine segments.
- Sprinkle pomegranate seeds, chopped mint, and cilantro onto the citrus.
- In a small bowl, combine, mirin, bird’s eye pepper, and black pepper to create a dressing.
- Pour mirin dressing over citrus salad.
Eat or share.
(Photo Credit: Matthew G. Piccolo)
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