
I had this Fennel, Arugula, and Parmesan Cheese salad at my friends A&R's housewarming party. Since it was a potluck and there were a lot of people there, I didn't bother to hunt down the salad bringer and ask for the recipe. It was simple enough that I thought I could recreate it on my own.

Turns out that fennel and arugula are a popular combination! While I looked at this Bon Appetit recipe as a starting point, I just improvised with arugula, thinly sliced fennel, and shaved Parmesan.
Fennel Arugula Parm Salad
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
3 cups of baby arugula
4 oz. of Parmesan cheese, thinly sliced
Juice of half of one lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Optional add ins: anchovy paste (to the dressing), thinly sliced sweet onion, and black olives
Combine fennel and arugula in a large bowl. Squeeze lemon over veggies and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Liberally garnish with curls of fresh Parmesan (pre-grated will not do!).
And for those of you who think you don't like fennel, believe me, I feel ya- all things fennel or liquorish scented or flavored gross me out. But the strange thing about fennel is that is smells more fennel-ly than it tastes. Once you trim the frondy green bits, the bulb part is more like celery. It adds a nice crunch and a subtle flavor, but nothing like the liquorish smell you get when you're cutting it up.
Hm, not a finocchio fan, huh?
ReplyDeleteWell, at least it sounds like you're starting to dig it, that's good.
FYI: A few bites post dinner is a nice digestif.
I'm just sayin...
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ReplyDeleteI love the texture contrast that fennel brings. And I always hated anise flavor, but fennel has in a subtle way so its great!
ReplyDelete