Fennel & Orange Salad
Serves 4, Preparation Time 20 minutes
In our home fennel is eaten more like a fruit than as a vegetable. For this reason, if we serve fresh fruit for dessert, then it is highly likely you will see raw fennel slices on the table too. Fennel and Orange Salad is our way of having dessert first in a meal! What better way to start a multi-course meal with something pleasant and light like your Fennel and Orange Salad?
- 1 large fennel bulb, stems removed, thinly sliced
- 1 whole lemon, the chopped zest of the whole or partial lemon, and the juice
- 2 sweet oranges, the chopped zest of the whole or partial orange, and the remainder peeled and cut into slices
- 2 green onions, chopped
- salt and ground black pepper added to taste
- Wash and pat dry all the fruits and vegetables.
- With the fennel, remove any brown or stringy outer leaves. Slice the bulb and stem into thin pieces. Place in a bowl.
- Zest a portion or all of the outer skin of the orange and the lemon. Chop the zest of both fruits into small pieces and mix the zest into the bowl with the fennel.
- Juice the lemon and mix the juice into the salad bowl.
- Optionally add a little salt and pepper, or skip this step and let each person make their own decision to add salt and pepper after you serve the salad.
- With a sharp knife, cut away the white pith and discard. Slice the remaining orange into thin slices. Cut the slices into thirds. Mix all or a portion of the orange into the bowl. Use the remaining orange to garnish the finished salad.
- Slice and chop the green onion and mix it into the salad.
- Garish the salad with any remaining orange and serve your Fennel and Orange Salad.
The dressing for the Fennel and Orange Salad is a combination of lemon and orange juices. No oils are needed. Oil in a dressing serves to carry the taste of the onions and garlic. It boasts the favoured effect of these ingredients when used sparingly. This works wonderfully for restaurants. It is their way of cutting down on the cost and effort needed to make the dish while delivering favour to you. A little oil in your salad ensures you will taste the favour for hours to come, the favour of small amounts of onion and the small amounts of garlic used in your salad. Without the oil, the onion and garlic tastes do not linger and last not much longer than the taste of other salad ingredients. For this reason, we recommend dropping the oil from your salad and adding more onion and garlic. If you think a salad should have some fat in it, then garnish the salad with crushed walnuts or some other nut or seed of your choice.
Dandelion Pineapple Salad
Tabbouleh Salad
