This recipe is being posted for my friend Amy, who remembered it from a church potluck some time back. It's made several appearances at various dinner parties, and it's a lovely salad to put on the table in the dead of winter when all the green leaf stuff is looking a little sad. It's very light and refreshing and crispy, and it would be very nice on your Thanksgiving table as a counterpoint to all the creamy squishy foods.
About slicing the fennel: One Christmas, David bought me a really good mandoline slicer (not the Pampered Chef one. Not the one at Target)(don't get one made out of plastic!). Since that time, it's amazing how many dishes I've found that want those exquisite, uniform, paper-thin slices. I'm sure if I went to cooking school I'd learn how to do this with a knife, but the mandoline is cheaper and is unlikely to inspire me to make a radical career change. I highly recommend investing in one; you won't use it often, but when you need it, it's the only tool that will do the job. Also, please buy a Kevlar glove and wear it every single time - I personally know 3 people that have severed fingertips using a mandoline. Please don't let that deter you. Seriously. Just slice safely.
From Madhur Jaffrey's excellent World Vegetarian.
Fennel and Orange Salad
2 medium fennel bulbs, cut crosswise into paper-thin rounds (this is a great time to bust out the mandoline - see above)2 navel oranges, peeled and cut into skinless segments
6 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from an actual lemon - with so few ingredients, the flavor of the bottled stuff is noticeably off)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Put all the ingredients in a bowl, toss to combine, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Drain off some of the liquid before serving. I'm told this keeps several days in the fridge but we eat it too fast to find out ourselves.
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