This salad used to be a huge hit with mothers when I was little, alongside tasteless wholemeal muffins and wholemeal bread and everything wholemeal, actually. Stale, dry and so hard I am sure you could have knocked somebody out with just one loaf if you really needed to. Over the years, however, I have come to realise that just because something is good for you, it does not need to be tasteless. And this salad certainly proves my point.
It was first created for the opening of the the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York, hence the name, but I have seen an incredible number of variations on this theme. If you're interested in the whole story of the salad and its creator, Oscar "of the Waldorf" Tschirky, you can find out more here.
The following recipe for Waldorf salad is my version and I love the fresh taste of the fennel and celery paired with the orange slices and tasty cheese. I sometimes toast the walnuts beforehand to really bring out their flavour, just put in a pan without oil and carefully toast, stirring constantly until they're nicely browned. This salad does not contain any lettuce or anything else that might wilt, so it's perfect for picnics, but it also makes a healthy and light lunch. I've read somewhere that celery has "negative" calories. Apparently this means that you burn more calories eating it than you're actually consuming... almost sounds too good to be true!
More than Waldorf Salad
(serves 4 as a light lunch)
1 fennel bulb
4 celery sticks
3 chicory
100 g walnuts
2 oranges
200 g gruyère (or other hard cheese)
For the dressing:
juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp mayonnaise
5 tbsp white wine vinegar
black pepper
Slice the fennel and celery very thinly, the chicory roughly. Peel the oranges, segment and take out any seeds. Cut in 1 cm slices. Cut the cheese in thin strips and chop the walnuts. Combine everything in a bowl or tupper ware. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl or jar, pour over the salad and mix thoroughly.
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