If you find yourself in Andalucía in the winter and are lucky enough to be invited to an olive oil mill, you may be treated to a desayuno molinero, which consists of an orange and olive salad (bathed in fresh olive oil, of course), a few slices of onion, a nice crusty bread and strong, dark coffee.

Here we played with the theme by using daikon radishes in addition to the onion, and adding blood oranges. Instead of brining the leeks, we roasted them to bring out their sugars. This is a spectacular looking salad that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Thanks to Aglaia Kremezi for the inspiration for this version.

 

Ingredients:

4-6 baby leeks

1 daikon radish

half of a small red onion, thinly sliced

salt

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3-4 blood oranges

2 cups brine-cured olives, pitted and sliced

Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp white wine

pinch of salt

pinch of crushed red pepper

Method:

1. For the leeks, you can brine or roast them (or both). Here’s how to brine them:  Wash and thinly slice the baby leeks.  Place them into a bowl and sprinkle with salt.  Add the apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water to the bowl and toss.  Let the leeks marinate for 30-60 minutes. Alternatively you can roast them whole, or split in half vertically, in a hot oven (375 F) for 20 minutes until golden and when cool, slice into thin coins.
2. Peel the oranges and divide them into sections, removing all the pith.  Peel the daikon radish and slice it thinly, using a mandoline.
3. Drain the leeks and pat them dry with paper towels.
4. Arrange the radishes, onions, orange slices, and olives on a plate and sprinkle the marinated leeks on top.
5. To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, white wine, a pinch of salt, and the crushed red pepper.  Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.