Orange, fennel, and olive salad

Tapas is not just about small bites but also gorgeous salads. These salads complement the small bites and are essential to the cuisine.

This fabulous salad is so easy to make. The crunchy fennel pairs well with the sweet orange and salty olives. Given its simplicity, it is deceptively good and a treat on the table. The freshness of the raw fennel prevails, and the hint of sweetness from the oranges is a surprisingly good pairing.

El Farol is the quintesential tapas restaurant in Santa Fe, new Mexico. I had dined here years ago and was excited to pick this cookbook up years later. It is filled with traditional tapas recipes, each one superb. The dishes highlight Spanish cuisine with touches of New Mexico ingredients, making them exceptional. This unique collection presents Mediterranean and Spanish cooking influenced by various lively Latin American dishes. The tapas menu is "ever-changing, bold, and energetic," according to the Dallas Morning News. The New York Times calls El Farol's food "bold and eclectic." The chef's Lobster-Chorizo Canneloni was voted "Best Appetizer" in the 2000 Taste of Santa Fe. James Campbell Caruso lives in Santa Fe, where he is the Executive Chef at El Farol, a chef and instructor at the Santa Fe School of Cooking, and the author of many articles on cooking and restaurant culture.

For more recipes from the fantastic cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

1 bulb fennel. halves and thinly sliced

2 oranges, white membranes removed and de-seeded

10-12 black olives, halved longitudinally

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Juice of 1 lime

15-20 mint leaves, left whole

Toss all the ingredients in a bowl well. Taste for salt. Store in the fridge.

Serve at room temperature.