This salad embodies a great posse of texture and flavor and looks just gorgeous on a simple plate. The mild bitter of endive is balanced by the sweet of fennel and nutty crunch of seasoned walnuts. Oranges or tangerines may be used when blood oranges are out of season, and can be colored with a little beet juice for colorful pizzazz. The walnuts can be done at a low temperature in the dehydrator, which takes some time though preserves all of the precious oils and nutrients, or toasted in the oven for quicker preparation.

Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Seasoned Walnuts:
2/3 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon shoyu
1 teaspoon umeboshi plum vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
fresh black pepper

Dressing:
¼ cup olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar,
or 2 teaspoons balsamic + 2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Salad:
2 blood oranges, or dyed oranges (see sidebar)
1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed
½ pound endive, trimmed

PROCEDURE:

Seasoned Walnuts:
Low-temperature Procedure:
Soak walnuts in 2 cups filtered water for 4-6 hours. Drain and rinse. Chop roughly.
Toss with shoyu, umeboshi plum vinegar, balsamic vinegar, maple, thyme, shallot, and a bit of fresh ground pepper. Spread in a shallow dish and dehydrate at 112°F for 12-20 hours until dry, stirring occasionally for even coating.

Toasting Procedure:
Preheat oven to 275°F
Chop walnuts roughly and toss with shoyu, umeboshi plum vinegar, balsamic vinegar, maple, thyme, shallot, a bit of fresh ground pepper. Let stand 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat and absorb flavor.
Spread out in a baking dish and bake for 8-15 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes for even coating, until fragrant and dry.

Dressing:
Whisk together oil, vinegar, shallot, thyme, and a pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper. Let stand 10 minutes to develop flavor.

Salad:
Cut the ends off of the oranges and cut away the rest of the peel with a paring knife to remove all of the white pith. Cut each section between the membranes to end up with nice, clean wedges. Do this over a bowl to catch the juices. Whisk any extra juice to the dressing.
Cut the fennel into quarters and slices as thinly as possible by hand or on a mandolin.
Separate the endive leaves.

SERVICE

Whisk the dressing and gently toss orange sections, fennel, and endive leaves.
Serve on salad plates topped with seasoned walnuts. Voila!

LEFTOVER STORAGE

Store walnuts, dressing and vegetable separately in sealed containers or jars in the fridge.