Moroccan Orange and Radish Salad with Mint

Ingredients

• 4 orange
• 10 radish, very thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp white sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp orange blossom water
• 60 g black olives
• 1 pinch salt

Method

1. 1.

   Peel and slice the oranges — Cut a slice off the top and bottom of each orange so it stands flat, then work a knife down the curve to strip away all the skin and white pith. Slice the oranges crosswise into rounds about 5 mm thick, working over a bowl to catch every drop of juice, and flick out any pips.

2. 2.

   Crisp the radish slices — Trim and slice the radishes as thinly as you can, ideally almost translucent. Drop the slices into a bowl of very cold water for 10 minutes so they curl and crisp, then drain and pat them dry.

3. 3.

   Whisk the citrus dressing — Whisk the caught orange juice with the lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, ground cinnamon, orange blossom water and a pinch of salt. Taste it: it should be sweet-sour and only faintly perfumed, so add the blossom water a few drops at a time if you are wary — it takes over a dish fast.

4. 4.

   Layer the platter — Lay the orange rounds out over a wide, shallow platter in overlapping circles, scatter the radish slices and the black olives across them, and spoon the dressing evenly over the top.

5. 5.

   Finish with mint and cinnamon — Shower with the chopped mint and a last dusting of cinnamon, and serve within half an hour, while the radishes still snap and the oranges are cold. It is the plate that cuts through a rich tagine.