Spring Dinner, Sorted: Unique Pesto Pasta, Citrus Salad & the Wines to Match

Orecchiette Pasta with Walnut Parsley Pesto, Asparagus & Spicy Sausage AND Citrus Salad with Mozzarella, Avocado, Mint & Extra Virgin Olive Oil

My dearest Sip with Nik cru – I’ve missed you! I was in California for the last 10 days visiting friends and while I managed to get a newsletter out mid-week, we are now back to our regularly scheduled programming. Starting with two delectable spring recipes that I will likely be cooking on repeat this season, as well as new installments of The Revival List and Drink This Not That later this week. First up, a super fresh citrus salad that’s a perfect match for your high acid, aromatic whites and rosés.

Citrus Salad with Mozzarella, Avocado, Mint & Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In search of the perfect spring salad? Look no further than my citrus salad with mozzarella, avocado, mint, and extra virgin olive oil. It’s easy to prepare, packed with flavor, and will be a hit at all your summer get-togethers and backyard barbecues.

The key to a mouthwatering citrus salad is ensuring you buy the freshest ingredients. Shop organic if possible and select the ripest, juiciest citrus possible. In my case, the best citrus fruits at the store were ruby red grapefruits and Cara Cara oranges. However, I originally intended to use blood oranges for this vegetarian recipe. Yet they were hard and unripe at the supermarket. Fate was on my side because the result with the Cara Cara oranges was sublime.

Segmenting the Citrus

In order to make a truly delectable citrus salad, you must remove all of the rind, pith, and membrane from the fruit. Essentially, you must learn how to properly segment citrus. The process sounds more complex than it is and the secret to success lies in utilizing a sharp, high quality paring knife. Rather than outline the whole process for you here, check out this article on how to segment an orange on the Great British Chefs website.

Citrus Salad Wine Pairings

I created this recipe specifically for the beautifully aromatic and refreshing Di Giovanna Vurría Grillo Sicilia DOC. Though this is a delicious salad to pair with other aromatic white wines with high acidity and flavors of citrus, herbs, or tropical fruits. It’s essential that the wine has high acidity to match the acidity of the fresh citrus salad. Plus, the wine’s vibrant acidity offers an enticing complement to the creaminess and fattiness of the mozzarella, avocado, and olive oil.

Beyond Grillo, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Grüner Veltliner, Catarratto, Carricante, and Assyrtiko are other white wines that fit the bill perfectly.

The Citrus Salad Recipe

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 Cara Cara oranges, segmented

• 1 ruby red grapefruit

• 1-2 avocados, peeled, pitted & cut into thin slices

• 5-10 mint leaves

• pearl mozzarella or other mozzarella of choice

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• extra virgin olive oil

• salt

Instructions

1. Segment the oranges and grapefruit. Peel and slice the avocado. Chiffonade the mint. Grate the lemon zest.

2. Arrange the salad on a serving plate in an eye-catching way. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and season with salt.

What are your favorite wines to pair with citrus dishes?

P.S. You NEED This Herb & Wine Pairing Guide If You’re All About Cooking with Spring Herbs (Like Me!)

Orecchiette Pasta with Walnut Parsley Pesto, Asparagus & Spicy Sausage

Of all the pasta dishes in the world to love, and there are a lot of them, orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage has long been one of my favorites. Orecchiette pasta, which translates to “little ears” in Italian, is a small handmade pasta resembling, well, little ears.

This delightful pasta hails from Puglia, or Apulia in English, a region in Southern Italy. In Puglia, you can walk through the streets and see several grandmas, or nonne, shaping orecchiette by hand. This is one of the best pastas to eat with pesto, in my opinion, because the wider surface area gets coated in all of that pesto goodness.

In this recipe, the vegetal flavor of the asparagus unites with the spicy sausage and herbaceous, nutty flavors of the pesto for an abundantly delicious dish. While it’s a filling, nourishing dish, the spring asparagus and fresh parsley in the pesto keep it light enough for warm weather. So, when you’re craving pasta this spring or summer, turn to this orecchiette pasta dish.