Blood orange, radicchio, pistachio and Stilton salad recipe

This blood orange, radicchio, pistachio and Stilton salad is a bright and beautiful starter that makes the perfect intro to a rich festive feast.

This salad has some really bold flavours - sweet and tangy blood orange, bitter leaves and the creamy mustiness of the Stilton cheese. But even though the flavours are big, it's still a light and refreshing course, and won't fill you up before the main event. It's a great starter to serve before a big joint of gammon or beef, though it's also a refreshing alternative to smoked salmon on the big day, before turkey, duck or goose. It's brilliantly easy to prepare - ready in just 10 minutes, and you can make up the dressing well in advance.

Ingredients

• 1 head radicchio (500g) or 2 heads chicory
• 2 blush or blood oranges, zested and cut into segments
• 20g pistachios, chopped
• 100g Stilton, crumbled

For the dressing:

• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• ½ tbsp honey
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 tbsp walnut or extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt

Method

1. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a clean jam jar and seal until ready to use. Shake well before using.
2. On the day, separate the radicchio leaves, and toss with some of the dressing. Arrange on a platter or on individual plates, and scatter over the orange segments, pistachios, Stilton and orange zest.

Top tips for making blood orange, radicchio, pistachio and Stilton salad

Using walnut oil adds a subtle nutty flavour to the dressing. If you don’t have it to hand, use extra virgin olive oil. 

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