Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of salad season. While most of us are swapping cold dinners for warm and comforting recipes like lasagne, stew, and dahl, salads are a great dinner party starter idea if you’re planning to entertain guests this autumn.

Sicilian salad (“Insalata Siciliana” in Italian) refers to a type of salad that originated in Sicily, Italy. It’s usually served at either the beginning or end of the meal, and tends to feature ingredients like blood orange, grapefruit, fennel, and chili. While blood oranges aren’t your typical salad ingredient, they are used in Sicilian salads to give them a tart taste.

Where to buy blood oranges

Blood oranges may be harder to find than the usual oranges you’ll find in supermarkets, but they are still available at a number of grocery stores around the world. You may also find them at farmer’s markets and smaller independent fruit stores.

The below recipe comes from Sicilian-born chef Antonio Alderuccio, the founder and chef-patron of London vegan restaurant Plant Club.

A traditional Sicilian salad with blood orange and fennel