Orange, Lettuce, and Walnut Salad (Shlada Bellecheen) Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Head romaine lettuce
3 Navel or temple oranges
2 tb Fresh lemon juice
2 tb Sugar
1 pn Salt
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1 tb Orange flower water
3/4 c Walnuts; chopped

Directions:

1. Wash lettuce and section into leaves, discarding the tough outer ones. Drain; wrap in paper towels to dry. Store in refrigerator until needed.
   
   
2. Peel oranges and remove all outside membranes, using a small serrated knife and employing a seesaw motion. Section the oranges by cutting away all the membranes from the orange flesh. As you work, lift out each section and place in a small mixing bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remainder of the orange over the sections to keep them moist. Cover; keep chilled.
   
   
3. Make a dressing by mixing the lemon juice, sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange flower water and 2 tb. of the orange juice. Blend well, then taste. The dressing should be sweet.
   
   
4. Just before serving, shred the lettuce and arrange in a glass serving dish. Pour the dressing over it; toss. Make a design around the edges with overlapping sections of orange, then sprinkle the salad with the chopped walnuts and dust with more cinnamon. Serve immediately.
   
   Variation: Prepare as above, using 3/4 cup chopped dates and almonds in place of the chopped walnuts.
   
   From _Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco_ by Paula Wolfert. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., 1987. Pp. 81-82. ISBN 0-06-091396-7. Typed for you by Cathy Harned.