Family Chow Hall

Romaine and Mandarin Salad

April 20th, 2006

Today I bring to you an absolutely delicious salad that was served by a friend of mine when she had us over for a “How to Host a Murder” dinner party. This recipe was given to her by her mother-in-law, and now I get to pass it on to you. Thanks, Holly!

It was my first experience with “How to Host a Murder” and was a lot of fun. Basically, four couples come together and play a read-aloud mystery similar to CLUE. No one knows who the culprit is, even the host/hostess and the culprit himself are in the dark until the very end. In between each of the 4 ’rounds’ we had dinner, chatted, or had dessert. Great fun. Good thing to do as an evening with friends and away from the kiddos.

Okay, back to the salad… It’s got the perfect combination of sweet, crunchy. and tangy to please the tastebuds. I’m not usually one to go for salads with fruit in them, but the oranges really add an interesting flavor to this one. The almonds also help to make this salad special, so don’t hold back on them. Its malt vinegar dressing is most unique — I didn’t figure out the “secret” ingredient until I saw the recipe — almond extract. Yum!

Romaine and Mandarin Salad
prep time: 15 minutes

Salad:
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 c. or more sliced and toasted almonds
1 bunch green onions - chopped
2 11 oz. cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 avocados, peeled and cubed
1 bunch of Romaine lettuce

Dressing:
2 T. corn oil (or light olive oil)
4 T. sugar
4 T. (London Pub) malt vinegar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. almond extract

For the salad, chop the lettice and toss with everything else in a large serving bowl. Save the avocados until you are ready to serve, since they brown quickly.

For the dressing, combine everything in a jar or Tupperware shaker cup and shake to dissolve the sugar. Pour just enough dressing on your salad to moisten it.

This would be a great salad to serve with seafood, Italian dishes, or just about anything.

Enjoy!

Entry Filed under: Recipes, Side Dishes, salads