Sasha's Kitchen: Mandarin Orange Salad With Caramelized Almonds

I have been making this salad for years, as it has been handed down in my family. But I figured the super bowl would be a good time to write about it because according to family legend, my aunt discovered this salad at a 1971 Super Bowl party, long before I was born. The recipe has changed a bit over the years, and I have made my own tweaks to it. But its long been a favorite of everyone I have ever made it for. The combination of the tangy mandarin oranges and the sweet caramelized almonds is dynamite. Any time I see a can of mandarin oranges, it reminds me that it is time to make this salad for a nice, healthy dinner, especially for a football game. They go nicely with these Jets cupcakes I made last week (you can see where my sports loyalties lie as a New Yorker, even though they lost this past weekend).

I was so excited that ShopRite threw in a can of their mandarin oranges with their last package that they sent me, and I put together this classic salad that I love making with them. Of all the cans of mandarin oranges I have used over the years, these really stood out as having great texture, color and flavor. They were delicious. You really do not need to use a sweet dressing with this salad, as the almonds give you all the sweetness that you need once they are caramelized. My mom passed this recipe along to me and I am so glad she did as it is a winner!

Sasha's Mandarin Orange Salad with Caramelized Almonds

• 3-4 hearts of romaine
• 1 can of ShopRite's mandarin oranges
• 1/2 of a cup of almond slivers
• 1/4 of a cup plus 1 T granulated sugar
• 1 stalk diced celery (optional)
• 1/2 cup canola oil (for the dressing)
• 2 T red wine vinegar (for the dressing)
• 2 T diced parsley (for the dressing)

To caramelize the almonds, combine with the sugar in a small frying pan over medium low hear. You want to make sure the sugar melts slowly so you do not burn the almonds. Once the sugar begins to melt after a few minutes, keep stirring until the sugar and almonds are fully caramelized. Then pour onto a piece of foil a and allow to cool completely. This will make an almond brittle of sorts, which you will need to break apart. I used to do this by hand, and when I got tired of that, I pulverized a nut chopper blade doing this, but now I rely on the Slap-Chop and it works. Mix the nuts with the shredded hearts of romaine, celery and the can of mandarin oranges (draining the liquid first). Then combine the parsley, oil and vinegar for the dressing and add to the salad. Enjoy!

Sasha's Kitchen: Mandarin Orange Salad With Caramelized Almonds

Sasha's Kitchen: Mom's Mandarin Orange Salad With Caramelized Almonds

The following salad is one of my "famous" family recipes. The origins of this salad are unknown, but it first came into my family via my Aunt who allegedly enjoyed it at a 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers Superbowl Party. If that's true, it might just be the best food ever served at a Superbowl Party. Everyone I have ever made this for has loved it, even the pickiest eaters out there. The way I make it is a little different from the original recipe, but it's good just the same.

Lettuce (I use either romaine or Boston butter lettuce)
1 small can of mandarin oranges juice drained
1/3 cup almond slivers
1/4 cup sugar (approximate)
celery (which I sometimes forget)
balsamic vinegar, parsley and oil for the dressing

Caramelize the almonds in sugar. When they are caramelized, allow them to cool and then either break them apart with your hands or chop in a nut chopper. Note: we use the famous "slap-chop" now to chop apart the almonds. My mom breaks them apart with her hands, but my husband and I both find the process to be unpleasant. Plus, my husband prefers to have the almonds chopped into smaller pieces because he worries that otherwise someone might chip a tooth (this shouldn't really be a problem as the nuts are not that hard, but he is a dentist's son).

Top the salad with the almonds, mandarin oranges, celery and dressing and serve. The original dressing that my mom makes uses both parsley and sugar. I always forget the parsley, and purposefully leave out the sugar because it doesn't need it as there is plenty of sugar already in the caramelized almonds.



This makes a great salad for any occasion, but is also perfect if you are planning to throw a Super Bowl party in January.

Note: if you want the salad to last for two days, you should save the extra caramelized almonds in a Ziploc bag as they will un-caramelize if you leave them into the salad in your refrigerator for many hours.

Sasha's Kitchen: Mom's Mandarin Orange Salad With Caramelized Almonds