French la Vie

 

Years ago, my friend Annie talked about a salad she had as if it were her new best friend. She described it in detail: the crunch of its voice, its tangy personality, its unexpected freshness, how curious it was like one has when one is first in love: She wondered what other flavors it might have if mixed with an added ingredient.

One lazy late afternoon, I stopped by Annie's to say hi as I did every day; I barely came into her kitchen when Annie pulled me to her fridge and said, "Corey, I made the Orange Onion Salad; you gotta taste it!"

Now, that might not sound unusual, offering a taste of an Orange Onion Salad at five in the afternoon but let me tell you, in France, that is as rare as Martians coming over to visit. I knew at that moment that this salad had to have a real pull on Annie's French heartstrings.

Annie brought out the Orange Salad and handed me a spoon, not bothering to give me a plate. Love does that. It makes you do things you would never think to do. I hesitated, doubting briefly the goodness of oranges with onions. The thought made me pucker my lips, and though Annie's enthusiasm reassured me, I scooped a mouthful. The moment the Orange/Onion combo hit my tastebuds, I was smitten. "Who knew!" I exclaimed. 

Orange Onion Salad:

One large sweet white onion, thinly sliced. Marinate it with two or three tablespoons of olive oil,

one or two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and black pepper with a hint of nutmeg.

While this sets aside doing its thing,

Peel and skin three large oranges peeled, then cut in thirds,

Mix the two.

Serve as is, over rice or on an avocado.

(Endless possibilities: add pistachios or red onions with raspberry vinaigrette instead.)

Have you had Orange Onion Salad or a variation of it?

PS

I have added a new category to my blog: "Annie" for those who want to reread stories about my friend. I will add a few at a time as I have to dig through my archives to find them all.