The full bloom of the season will shortly be upon us, when we are assailed by all the good things of the garden, so let us bid farewell to the quiet time of the year with a tribute to tins.
Here is a smart salad, which makes an excellent accompaniment to any number of savoury dishes, and which is based around a tin of mandarin oranges.
Mandarin Salad is the creation of Herb and Chris Quigley, who many will remember as the inspired bakers and cooks of Ballycormac House, in Tipperary, which they sold last year before moving back to the US. Now ensconced in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, and running the Cater-In Company, the Quigleys are as busy as ever. This recipe was recently featured in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and for those who might have missed the March 10th issue of the Sentinel, here is the recipe.
Mandarin Salad
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 can mandarin orange segments
1 small red onion
1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Coriander leaves for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place pine nuts in small pan and toast in preheated oven for five to eight minutes until golden brown; set aside to cool. Drain mandarin oranges and place in bowl. Add thinly-sliced red onion, chopped dates, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Set aside for a minimum of one hour. Garnish with coriander leaves. Makes four to six servings.