Fennel Salad

It seems like all summer I've been on a feta/mint combo salad bender:  I'd walk through the farmers market or rifle through my fridge and everything that I bought or pulled out seemed like it would be a perfect fit with mint that I have growing in a big pot in my window, and my new favorite feta cheese.  But yesterday at last, I got a craving for a great summer salad that has neither feta or mint - Fennel Salad.

I adapted this recipe from something that a good friend of mine used to make at her regular summer Williamsburg Brooklyn backyard BBQs.  She is an amazing cook, and was a great hostess, but has unfortunately (for me) moved to London  so I thought I would make this nice salad in her honor.  

It's actually funny that I like this salad - or that I like fennel bulb.  I don't generally like the anise-y licorice flavor that comes from anethole, an aromatic compound in fennel that is also found in anise and star anise. I don't like Pernod or Absinthe or black licorice, but I really like fennel.  Raw or cooked the flavor of fennel is complex and goes well with other vegetables, meat or cheese, but holds its own. 

Two notes about this salad: It is actually very easy to make, especially if you have a mandoline.  I actually don't currently have a mandoline, so I partly used my box grater and partly sliced it very thinly with a knife.  I'm planning at some point on doing a 'mandoline off' where I compare 2 or 3 mandolines and rate them accordingly.  I think I've read all of the reviews of different ones on Amazon, and they all seem to have some issues (dull blades, cut fingers and awkward orientation to name a few).  Any recommendations on which ones I should try would definitely be appreciated.  But even if you don't have a mandoline, you can still make this salad fairly easily.  It just takes a little longer.

The second note is that the recipe calls for pistachio oil.  If you haven't ever tried pistachio oil, you are totally missing something.  Like many nut oils, pistachio oil has a strong toasty flavor that goes really well with both sweet and savory foods.  I raved about how delicious it was to my fennel salad friend the first time I had it, so she generously brought back a bottle of it from France the next time she went.  Unfortunately, like many good things, it's very expensive - especially if you buy it here imported from France.  But I think you can easily substitute another nut oil like walnut or hazelnut oil (or even dark sesame oil) and get a similar flavor.  Just now, as I'm writing this, I'm thinking that this salad would be really amazing with the addition of some toasted nuts - hazelnuts would be nice.  You could probably get away with using a good strong olive oil and some toasted nuts and get a similar effect.

Fennel Salad

2 fennel bulbs
1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 T finely chopped fennel greens
3 T pistachio oil
Juice from 1 lemon
Shaved parmesean cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cut the tops off the fennel, reserving a few of the greens.  Clean the fennel, and lightly peel any spots off the outside.  Slice very thinly using a mandoline  or a sharp knife. Finely chop the Italian parsely, the reserved fennel greens and mix into the sliced fennel.  Add the lemon juice, pistachio oil and salt and pepper and mix well.  Using a vegetable peeler or a cheese slicer, shave thin pieces of cheese over the top.  Crack fresh pepper over the top and serve.

Comments

[patsy]

I discovered that I love fennal salad a couple years back, but haven't made one myself this year. Looks delicious!

[Cristina]

Hi! I just read your recipe (I have a bulb of fennel in my fridge) and found it super interesting. You also determined me to buy as soon as possible some special oil like pistachio. Keep up the good work!