My series of posts dedicated to my Foodbuzz 24×24 Christmas in July event is back after a few days’ break and 2 guest posts! Thank you again Kankana from Sunshine & Smile and Erin from Big Fat Baker! This is a typical Christmas salad as it is made with winter ingredients, but I love it all year round. The ingredients all balance out: fennel slices for the crunch, black olives for a little tanginess and oranges for the sweetness. I am a big fan of fruits in salads and oranges are the best as they help make a natural dressing by releasing their juice. That is why I only dress this salad with some extra virgin olive oil and salt. I like to keep it simple and let the ingredients shine through.
Ingredients: (for 4 people)
1 big fennel bulb, sliced
2 oranges, sliced
Kalamata olives, pitted
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Slice the fennel and orange and put them in a bowl with the black olives.
Dress the salad with some extra virgin olive oil and salt and mix well. Arrange on a plate and serve as a side for red meat, chicken or even fish.
On a completely different note, I’d like to thank Purabi from Cosmopolitan Currymania and Sawsan from Chef in Disguise for giving Manu’s Menu the following awards: the Blog on Fire Award and the Sunshine Award from Purabi
and another Blog on Fire Award from Sawsan
Thank you so much ladies! I am honoured and so happy to receive these awards from such talented foodies like the two of you. You guys should check out their sites and see what I am talking about. Purabi has some of the most delicious curry recipes of the blogosphere on her site, while Sawsan’s Middle Eastern and Mediterranean (but not exclusively) cuisine brings me back to my origins!
As per tradition… here are 10 facts about me that you still do not know:
- I eat almost everything now, but as a child I was a very fussy eater. I remember taking hours to finish my meal even though my mum was a very good cook. I also remember wanting to eat the same dish for months in a row, until I was so tired of it that I would pick something else to eat everyday. Now that I have a daughter who does the same thing, I realise how hard it must have been for my mum!! But I also know that my daughter will change.
- Like almost all Italians, I used to LOVE soccer. My favourite team is Juventus, but I do not follow soccer much anymore. However I still enjoy watching an occasional match when they show it on TV.
- My favourite animal is the cow. As a teenager, I would collect everything with a cow theme.
- Even though I adore food, I am not a big wine drinker. It’s not that I don’t like it, I am just not used to drinking it. My parents never drank wine, so we would open a bottle of wine only when we had guests over. I know… something I have to improve on as a “foodie”! I do however like cocktails and sweet wines! 😉
- I LOVE Australia. I always talk about Italy and how good Italian food is… so I want this to be clear: I feel just as Australian as I feel Italian. Coming here was a choice and one that I will never regret! Australia is a beautiful country, with lots to offer, and the people here are as friendly as it gets. So, if you haven’t visited Aussie yet, start planning your next holidays!
- You already know I love travelling, but you probably do not know that I am contribuiting to an Italian travel website called Turisti per Caso. I am one of their guides/moderator for Australia and I help Italians plan their holidays “down under”. You would be surprised to know that 90% of these people come here on their honeymoon. Needless to say, it makes me really happy to advise them on how to make the most of their visit!
- My husband and I, instead, spent our honeymoon lazing out in the Maldives!
- If I had the time, I would love to learn Hindi so I could teach it to my daughters. Bizarrely enough my husband (who is of Indian origin) barely speaks it anymore!!
- My favourite fruit is cherries!
- I was born in 1978… so I am 33 years OLD! 🙂
Now, time to pass on these awards… to:
Have fun browsing through these delicious blogs! I love each one of them! And thank you again so much Purabi and Sawsan for awarding Manu’s Menu! <3
WOW! And I thought this post was going to be about a wonderful salad! Great salad, but congratulations on the awards! Also, I love the 10 things list! So my question is “Is there anything you DON’T do? -:) Congratulations Manu! (BTW – please don’t call 33 OLD because that would make me ancient! -:) )
Lovely salad, and wonderful combo! Sound really refreshing and light!
Congrats on the awards, you deserve them very much…and thank you remembering me too..I am so very honored:)
I can relate on more than one level with you, great to know even more about you!!!
Oh Manu, congratulations for your awards, yo deserve it, your blog is so authentic and delightful.
And thank you so much for mention my blog in yours, I’m proud of my country and all the things it gives to us and to the world.
But let me ask you something, really you don’t like wine, even you are Italian…??? Good to know you still like football (soccer).
This recipe is SO pretty. Love it.
Congratulations on the awards, Manu. You really deserve each one of those awards. It’s great to know you even more with those 10 facts about you. Thank you so much for mentioning my name, it is an honor. Take care my friend! 🙂
What a simple and beautiful salad. Congratulations on your award.
I love the simplicity in this salad yet I’m sure the flavor is huge! I love olives in anything! 🙂
What a simple, gorgeous salad! I wish Bill liked fennel, but I’d be happy to make this one just for me 🙂 And I’d LOVE to visit Australia…and hope to one day~
Gorgeous salad, Manu! I have some fennel sitting in my fridge right now, and I know what I’m going to do with one of them 🙂 So simple, and delicious looking! Congrats on those awards, and THANK YOU for passing them on to me! So nice of you to think of me 🙂 I appreciate it! Loved reading your 10 things… 🙂 I can’t wait to visit Australia one day… My best friend lives in Sydney, and I hope I can come see her soon! Maybe I’ll see you too? 😀 Great post! 🙂
So fun to learn more about you, congrats on the awards Manu! This salad is so creative- I dont think I’ve ever tried fennel prepared like this- the orange must go nicely with it…
Congrats on the more than deserved awards! And great salad!
Hi Manu! I have to try this recipe. I became a huge fan of fennel bulb after I tried it for the first time this year. I like the smell and taste and texture…everything! Fresh orange and fennel sound like a perfect match. Your orange looks juicy too… Congrats on your awards! I’m so happy that I got to read more about you! It’s been a while. 😉 I do wish to visit Australia!
have been browsing through your culinary adventures for quite some time and glad to follow it- Salad looks great !
Hi Priya! I am so glad you stopped by to say HI! I am so glad you like my space! Hope to see you around here often! 🙂
I loved reading a little more about you Manu
Congratulations on your award..You deserve it and much more
The salad sounds amazing..I love using fruits in salads too
Beautiful salad recipe, Manu! I was inspired to create a salad with fruit too – I’m going to feature it in my Beauty Eats series soon! I love how I can always count on you for inspiration.
Congrats on receiving the awards -you really do deserve them!, Thank you so much for passing them on to me. I enjoyed reading the 10 points – btw my husband is also a Juventus fan!
Hi Divya! I can’t wait to see and read about your salad with fruits now!! :-)))))
So cool to hear your husband is a Juve fan too! 🙂
Lovely to hear you’re an advocate for Australian honeymoons! And the oranges must be beautiful at the moment, they always are this time of year. I’m looking forward to getting back to Australia in a few weeks time to make the most of the late winter fruit season. Congrats on the awards! Angela
colourful wonderfully done
The salad is so simple and beautifully presented 🙂 And thanks a ton for sharing that award with me.
That salad looks so light and healthy, but delicious too! I like everything in it and would definitely give it a try one of these days!
Congratulations on your awards, Manu! I’m happy to know some more things about you!!! And thanks so much for passing them to me! You’re always so thoughtful! 🙂
This combination is one of the best in my opinion! Loved reading the facts about you. I did not know you worked for Turisti per Caso…will keep you in mind if we ever make it over…one of my dreams ;o)
LOVE the salad… AND the fun facts! 😀 And THANK you for the award! HUGS! 😀
Thank you so much for passing the award on, and congratulations for receiving it! This fennel and orange salad sounds light and delicious, I will have to keep an eye out for fennel at the store! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend Manu, enjoy it and thank you again 🙂