obsession: blood oranges

when i went to poland and few years ago, i had a layover in milan and flew alitalia to vienna (and eventually, to krakow - that's another story). it was a morning flight and we were treated to italian pastries, coffee and breakfast juices. i was surprised when the attendant handed me a glass of red liquid after i had asked for orange juice. it was then that i fell in love with blood oranges. and while that sounds really dramatic, i really have a tendency to get obsessed with things that i like. basically, i keep at it until i'm tired of it, and them move on to the next obsession (it being meals, juices, hobbies, recipes, and especially music - you get the picture). after my trip, still reeling after my discovery, my love for blood oranges was cut short when i couldn't find them anywhere here in dc. i tried specialty groceries, organic groceries, the internet. no go.

so yesterday, i was delighted (as in, i almost squealed out loud) to find blood oranges at the local grocery store. i thought of all the recipes that i had looked up after my trip that required blood oranges. i couldn't remember too many, and really, i'm happy just having the fruit/juice by itself. but i did remember a fennel salad that i tasted during restaurant week a few years ago at sette bello in arlington.

since the weather has been pretty mild lately, this was a perfect dinner idea for tonight. i paired it with a honey garlic salmon recipe that was adapted from a vietnamese recipe that my mom received from her co-worker.

salad of fennel, endive, blood oranges, and almonds
with a homemade champagne vinaigrette
shown with honey garlic roasted salmon topped with caramelized onions

now, off to make another batch of cupcakes for some friends (see? obsessed).