Orange salad and aromatic sauces

Orange Salad and Aromatic Dressings

1 recipe – 2 possibilities! To flavor a dressing, here are two ways to use an organic hydrolat or essential oil:

With a hydrolat: the aroma will be subtle, and the oil + vinegar + hydrolat emulsion will create a truly aromatic vinaigrette. Dosing the hydrolat is simple; it’s done by the spoon, and you can adjust to your taste. Generally, it’s 1 to 2 tbsp for 2 to 4 tbsp of oil.
With an essential oil: as its aroma is intense, dosing will be done by the drop and directly into the oil to ensure good diffusion. Just 1 drop can be enough to flavor a dressing for several people, and the dosage is different for each essential oil!

For this already warm spring that makes you crave fresh and colorful dishes, I created this recipe especially for the Essenciagua distillery.

For 3 to 4 people
The Orange Salad
2 oranges
1 large bowl of salad leaves
1 small red onion
1 dozen black olives
1 dozen crushed almonds or pistachios
1 small spring onion (scallion) or 3 sprigs of chives
Optional: 2 tbsp dried cranberries

The Chamomile-Flavored Dressing
2 tbsp German Chamomile Hydrolat (Matricaria Recutita)
1 tbsp quality apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp camelina or rapeseed oil

OR
The Tarragon-Flavored Dressing
1 drop of Tarragon Essential Oil (Artemisia Dracunculus)
4 tbsp mild olive oil
1 tbsp quality apple cider vinegar

Orange Salad Preparation:

Peel the oranges, then slice them over a large plate to collect the juice.

Distribute the salad leaves among 4 plates, arrange the orange slices cut in half. Peel the red onion and slice it thinly, do the same with the spring onion, and sprinkle over the salad.

Chop the pistachios or almonds with a knife before adding them to the plates with the small black olives and, if desired, the cranberries.

Dressing Preparation, choose one:

For the German Chamomile hydrolat dressing: in a small bowl, pour the organic hydrolat, add the apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and emulsify by adding the oil. The dressing is ready and can be used for this recipe or another salad (e.g., grated carrot salad).

For this orange salad, finish the dressing by incorporating 1 to 2 tbsp of juice collected when slicing the oranges.

For the dressing with tarragon essential oil: in a tablespoon, drop 1 drop of organic tarragon essential oil, then measure 4 tbsp of olive oil and pour it into a small bowl. Add the apple cider vinegar and salt, stir vigorously. The dressing is ready and can be used for this recipe or another salad (e.g., green lentil salad, green bean salad…).

For this orange salad, finish the dressing by incorporating 1 to 2 tbsp of juice collected when slicing the oranges.

LEARN MORE

Tips from Magali Louis, distiller at Essenciagua

German Chamomile Hydrolat is known for its powerful anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties. Taken orally, the anti-inflammatory molecules present in German Chamomile floral water soothe digestive ailments. Furthermore, its anti-allergic properties are beneficial for hay fever or allergic asthma. Courses of German Chamomile hydrolat relieve pain associated with osteoarthritis. German Chamomile Hydrolat also helps reduce stress and mental agitation. It can be diluted in a cup of hot water for mental relaxation.

Tarragon essential oil is known for its digestive benefits; it can also be used diluted in a vegetable oil and massaged onto the abdomen to relieve issues such as difficult digestion, bloating, intestinal spasms, and nausea.

Its stimulating aroma improves concentration and helps reduce mental fatigue.

As a precaution, the use of essential oils in the diet is not recommended for young children, pregnant women, or breastfeeding women.

If you are new to this, read my posts dedicated to cooking with essential oils or cooking with food-grade floral waters.