2021 Cadre, Sea Queen, Albariño, Edna Valley + Tipo’s Fennel & Winter Citrus Salad

With Chef de Cuisine Nick Bianco of tipo

 
 

When we were tasting and selecting the wines for this month’s Wine Club, the abundantly aromatic, salty citrus zest and tropical fruit-forward Cadre, Sea Queen, Albariño from California’s cool-climate seaside Edna Valley seemed like the perfect wine to include during citrus season. Of course, we started to get hungry, which quickly turned into a long list of foods that we were craving to go with it. Tipo’s Fennel & Winter Citrus Salad was at the top of our wish list. It’s located in Portland’s Back Cove area, with plenty of easy on-street parking and many other delicious takeout options to enjoy alongside this gorgeous salad and wine pairing, it won over our hearts and our taste buds.

We contacted our friends at Tipo and met with Chef de Cuisine Nick Bianco and Chef/Owner Chris Gould to learn how they make their incredible salad. They were gracious enough to share the recipe with us and even fine-tune some details to make it easy for a home cook. There are actually three recipes for different components with some substitution recommendations if you want to skip a few steps. But when a chef gives you their fantastic recipes … why would you want to skip a single thing?

We were also so enamored with Chef Bianco’s stories from recent travels to Italy with Chef Gould and others from the Tipo team. Bianco shared that he returned with a deeper understanding and appreciation of Italian cooking. And while strolling through markets in Southern Italy and Sicily, he found fresh oranges of all varieties and bulbs of fennel in abundance. Fennel and orange salads were a winter staple at almost every restaurant. Upon returning home, it seemed obvious that this lovely seasonal salad had to be on the Tipo menu. His version is so flavorful and delicious and fantastically easy to make. Its great on its own and as an accompaniment to brighten up any meal during the colder months of the year. This recipe is an attainable and delicious option for any home chef looking for a light salad utilizing seasonal ingredients.

 

RECIPE

Tipo’s Fennel & Winter Citrus Salad

This masterpiece is all about using two of this season’s fresh ingredients and preparing them in a way that elevates their attributes and marries them through some pretty excellent chef know-how. We can’t wait for you to try it with the wine in this month’s wine club deliveries and also available in our Explorer Albariño 6-Bottle Set or in a customized wine selection.

 

Serves

2 people

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

20 min

 
 

Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 ea Valencia Orange

  • ½ cup *candied kumquats or a mandarin orange

  • 1 ea ruby red grapefruit

  • 1 head fennel, shaved thin

  • 1 pint red watercress or other bitter green (radicchio or endive)

  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

  • 1 tsp course sea salt

  • To taste: black pepper, toasted, and course ground

  • 3 TBSP **fennel oil or high-quality extra virgin olive oil

*CANDIED KUMQUATS Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar

  • ½ cup water

  • 1 cup kumquats, sliced and seeded

**FENNEL OIL Ingredients:

  • 1 pint fennel fronds

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 pinch salt

 

Prep the SALAD

  • Preheat oven to 300º F

  • In a small mixing bowl, combine pine nuts with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt

  • Bake on a sheet tray at 300ºF for 10-15 min until golden brown

  • Remove from oven and let cool

  • Segment the orange and grapefruit, juice the remaining fruit fibers, and reserve the juice

  • Candy the kumquats (see below)

  • Remove the tops from the fennel; if making the fennel oil, reserve the tops

  • With a sharp knife or mandolin, thinly shave the fennel

*CANDy the KUMQUATS

  • In a small sauce pot, combine 1 cup sugar with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil

  • Pour the hot syrup over the sliced kumquats and let cool

**make the FENNEL OIL

  • Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil

  • Blanch the fennel fronds (or tops) for 1 min and shock in ice water.

  • Strain and wring out excess water.

  • In a blender, purée blanched drained fronds with olive oil until smooth (1:1 olive oil to blanched fennel fronds)

  • This makes a wonderful bright green fennel-flavored oil we dress the salad with

Mix the SALAD

  • In a medium mixing bowl, combine citrus segments, *kumquats, shaved fennel, pine nuts, and watercress

  • Add 1 TBSP of each: reserved orange and grapefruit juice

  • Add **fennel oil or extra virgin olive oil

  • Season with sea salt and pepper

  • Toss all together to dress the salad evenly

  • Zest some fresh orange peel over the salad

    Serve and enjoy!

Tips and tricks from the chefs:

  • If you are not using the shaved fennel right away, you can soak it in cold water to prevent it from oxidizing, but this dilutes the flavor of the fennel. We recommend slicing the fennel just before serving it for the best flavor.

  • You can segment and hold the citrus in its own juice for up to 3 days in the refrigerator

  • If you are short on time (or just can’t find kumquats), you can add them raw or substitute mandarin orange segments

  • We make fennel oil to utilize the fennel tops and increase the flavors in the salad. You can easily and a nice olive oil if you are short on time.

Chef/Owner Chris Gould (left) and Chef de Cuisine Nick Bianco (right)

Tipo was opened in 2016 by co-owners Executive Chef Chris Gould and Paige Gould, perhaps first known for their first restaurant, the nationally acclaimed Central Provisions. Having a love for pizza and Italian cuisine, the Goulds purchased the building previously belonging to Borealis Baking Company, which came fully equipped with the beautiful brick oven that now dispenses the best authentic Neapolitan-style pizza you’ll ever have this side of the Atlantic. Located on Ocean Ave near Back Cove, it has become a neighborhood staple with many regular customers making it an essential ingredient of a good week.

Chef de Cuisine, Nick Bianco’s traditional and non-traditional takes on Italian food, are bursting with flavor and are sure to please. All of their pasta and pizza is homemade from scratch every day by his small but skillful team of cooks, and each dish tastes like it was carefully crafted to make you feel as though you are sitting in a piazza in Napoli. The blend of up-scale and cozy neighborhood vibes creates a welcoming atmosphere where you could come for an intimate date night or stop by for an Aperol spritz and a pizza during happy hour.

We are honored to be able to showcase this lovely restaurant and some of the great people that make it what it is and bring one of their many great dishes right to your kitchen. Thank you, Chefs!

 
Wine Wise