Chatelaine’s Festive Salad

Don’t get sidelined planning your buffet menu. This fresh-tasting salad is the only vegetable needed.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients
8 ripe plum tomatoes
6 celery stalks
3 peppers, preferably a mix of yellow, orange and red
1 small red onion
2 170-g jars marinated artichokes
2 oranges or 4 clementines
1 cup (250 mL) kalamata olives, pitted
1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped fresh dill
1 large lemon
1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp (10 mL) dried dillweed
1/2 tsp (2 mL) dried basil
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup (75 mL) olive oil

Directions
Cut tomatoes in half. Squeeze out and discard seeds and juice, then coarsely chop. Thinly slice celery diagonally. Slice peppers into thin bite-size strips. Cut onion in half, then thinly slice. Place all in a large bowl, separating onion rings. Drain artichokes well, then coarsely chop. Remove peel from oranges. Slice oranges in half crosswise, then into thick half moons. Add both to salad with olives and 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped fresh dill.

Squeeze 1/4 cup (50 mL) juice from lemon into a small bowl. Whisk in sugar, Dijon, garlic, dried dillweed, basil, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil. Before serving, drizzle dressing over vegetables and toss. After dressing, the salad stands up well at room temperature for several hours or in the refrigerator about half a day. Garnish with fresh dill sprigs.

Originally published on Chatelaine