Sicilian Citrus Salad with Goat Cheese

Recently, I have been in the cookbook writing process, and looking for inspiration. Since I love doing a new take on old family recipes, I was going through my Grandpa's cookbook, and found a recipe for citrus salad. Sicilians love citrus! You will find it in many Southern Italian recipes, since citrus is important to that area of Italy. His citrus salad recipe includes full segments of lemon along with grapefruit and oranges, so if you are like me, and are obsessed with lemon, then you can do that as well. I created a recipe inspired by his, with great citrus flavor, but instead of the lemon pieces, I squeezed some lemon juice over the top to finish, added some sweetness with a little honey, and added an herbaceous touch with basil and mint.

It's so funny when I read thought those old recipes, because there really are no exact measurements. Italians like to add a pinch of this, and a touch of that. Of course, it always depends on the fresh fruit or veggies you are using. Depending on how juicy they are, how tart they are, how sweet they are, will change how much honey, salt, or herbs you add. Since I love to bake (and create recipes for you!), exact measurements have always been very important to me, and vital to creating credible recipes, but lately I have forced myself to do lots of experimenting, without being tied down to the measurements. This is a perfect salad for that. Add the citrus that you like, leave out what you don't. Add what herbs you like, whatever finishing oil you like, and whatever cheese you like. The whole idea is that citrus, honey, cheese, and herbs make a great salad, and you can really make it your own in whatever way you like.

Sicilian Citrus Salad with Goat Cheese

Author:

Maria Provenzano

Ingredients

1 grapefruit
2 oranges
1/3 cup mint, chopped
1/3 cup basil, chopped or torn
1 lemon
olive oil
salt
honey
goat cheese for topping; about 4 oz

Instructions

Segment the grapefruit and the oranges by using a knife to cut off the peel, then use a small sharp knife to cut between each segment to remove the pieces of the fruit
Place the segmented oranges and grapefruit into a large bowl, and toss with the mint and basil
Drizzle with a little honey, salt, and splash of lemon
Adjust the flavors! Add more of anything you like!

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