Meat Free Monday

Today’s recipe is a repost from a few months ago. It features watercress, one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings. It contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C. Peppery, tangy and bursting with flavour, watercress makes a great addition to this salad.

Orange and Watercress Salad

Ingredients

• 4 oranges
• a good bunch  watercress
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• pinch sugar
• salt
• freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Finely grate the zest of two of the oranges, avoiding any pith, then peel them with a sharp knife, removing all the pith.
2. Run a sharp blade either side of the thin membranes, releasing whole segments one at a time. Let them drop into a bowl along with any juice that drips while you are performing this operation.
3. Make a dressing by mixing the olive oil with 1 tbsp saved juice, the finely grated zest, a pinch of sugar and a little salt and pepper.
4. Toss the leaves with this dressing just before serving and scatter the segments of orange among the leaves.

Recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall