Orange Salad Gramma’s Between Course Palate Cleanser

Gramma Rinaldi’s holiday dinners were more like attending an event than just a family gathering. Being together during the holiday was an important part of her meal planning. Everyone looked forward to the traditional dishes she served at every holiday. We each had a favorite dish that we couldn’t wait to savor.

Gramma’s meals usually consisted of four main courses; soup, several entrees, salad, and dessert. However, in between each course she believed in serving what she termed a palate cleanser. Soup was served with homemade bread, appetizers before entrees, salad was served after the main course, and then another palate cleanser before dessert. Sometimes it was celery stalks soaked in anisette, or my favorite, orange salad.

After dessert, the women and girls cleared off the tables, cleaned the dishes and kitchen. Finally, we all sat around the table with bowls filled with mixed nuts. Nutcrackers and picks in hand we got down to cracking open those nuts, picking out the tasty morsels, and enjoying the last palate cleanser of the meal. While nibbling on the nuts, some of us played cards or took out Gramma’s Pokeno game to play. The men sat around smoking cigars, sipping glasses of red wine, and talking. Neighbors and family members drifted in and out throughout the day picking at the leftovers until it was time to head home to bed. If you were lucky, you got to take home a piece of your favorite part of the meal to enjoy again the next day.

Gramma’s Orange Salad

• 3 peeled and sectioned navel oranges

• 1 can of drained large black olives

Drizzle with olive oil and toss. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Side notes:
For a light lunch add shrimp, red onion, baby spinach, and a splash of balsamic vinegar to the above. Or, go crazy and add a bit of sliced fennel. Experiment with different flavor combinations to make it your own.