Dandelion greens, fennel & pear salad

This is my latest favorite salad - the combo of the bitter dandelion greens with the crisp fennel and sweet pear is really perfect. I had some parsley and radish thinnings, so I threw those in too, though you don't need them. I had this salad with my leftovers from Eid dinner (a cheeseburger, plus potatoes with spring onions and asparagus) and a cocktail called the "suffering bastard" which I'd seen during Ramadan and wanted to try. It is gin, bourbon, lime juice, bitters, and ginger brew, all of which I had in the pantry, plus a mint sprig from the garden. I added a splash of sparkling water because I found it a little sweet, and that was just perfect on the humid evening.

Suffering Bastard - weird drink name

I didn't measure these quantities, but here is my best ratio guess for a salad for 2.

Salad - combine the following in a bowl:
2-3 cups dandelion greens (I go for small-medium sized leaves), cleaned
1/2 of a large fennel bulb, sliced thinly
several fennel fronds, chopped
1 pear, julienned
handful of parsley or other garden thinnings
handful of pecans (I did not toast mine, but you could and that would be extra good!)

Dressing:
Mix equal parts lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) and olive oil with a squirt of mustard and pinch of salt. Toss with salad to coat.

Citrus Salad with Fennel Vinaigrette

I saw this salad on the Bon Appetit website and decided I wanted to try it for these sesame clusters that topped the salad. But then when I made the sesame clusters, I opted to use stevia instead of sugar, and that was kind of a disaster. BUT, the dressing was AMAZING. I did use some honey in there - so that was partly it, but the fennel, shallots and ginger tasted brilliant together, especially with some fresh mandarin oranges in the salad too. I just skipped the sesame clusters after attempt one, but you can see them in the photo. If you want to make them, follow Bon appetit's recipe and just use the sugar!

As we slog through the last days of winter, I just want some fresh stuff! I've made a variation on this salad several times in the past month - and my favorite is to stick pretty true to the original recipe. It's a bit fancier than what I would ever make on my own, and though it is simple, the flavors are pretty bold.

Citrus Salad with Fennel Dressing (from Bon Appetit)

⅓ cup olive oil 

¼ small fennel bulb, finely chopped, plus ½ cup chopped fronds  

1 small shallot, finely chopped  

2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger 

1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed  

¼ cup white wine vinegar  

2 tablespoons honey (or honey/stevia combo)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper  

4 navel oranges, blood oranges, tangerines, and/or grapefruit  

10 cups mixed hardy salad greens (radicchio, frisée, endive, etc; about 1 lb) 

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

This one had less citrus and more dressing!

1. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chopped fennel, shallot, ginger, and fennel seeds and cook, stirring often, until tender (do not let brown), 8–10 minutes. Mix in vinegar and honey. Let cool; season with salt and pepper.

2. Finely grate 1 tsp. zest from 1 orange; set aside. Using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges; discard. Cut between membranes to release segments into a medium bowl; discard membranes. (This was far too fussy for me. I just peeled the mandarins and put the sections in the salad. I sliced my blood orange and cut off the peel...way easier, but less gorgeous I spose.)

3. Toss greens, parsley, fennel fronds, oranges, and dressing in a large bowl. Serve topped with reserved orange zest.

Fennel Apple Salad

This weather! Hurray! I left for Mayday yesterday morning thinking it would be cool and cloudy, and it turned out it was sunny and warm and the clouds just disappeared from the sky. I brought a nice Mayday picnic for the parade of tea, roasted chicken, and a really tasty salad which was a jumble of fresh veggies: avocado, fennel, tomato, parsley and cabbage. I am experimenting with fennel more often - it is so good chopped up and added to a salad.

Today I wanted something that was mostly fennel, so after perusing a few recipes I decided to try one of fennel and apples. I modified it some (hers is more lettuce-y), and it turned out delicious. The fresh lemon juice and zest are especially nice, and the walnuts. I added in fresh green onions from my garden and a few chives for a little savory zing.

Fennel Apple Salad   
(serves 2 large or 4 small salads) 
1 large/2 medium fennel bulbs
1 apple (a tart one is nice)
1/2 c chopped parsley
1/4 c toasted walnuts, chopped
1-2 green onion, chopped fine 
1 T fresh chives, chopped fine
Freshly ground pepper 
sea salt 
1/2 lemon, juice and zest 
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
 

1. Trim the fennel (so you have just the bulb) and slice super thin. I used my mandoline for this, but you can also use your fancy knife skills. Slice the apple the same way.
2. Toast walnuts for several minutes on a dry cast iron skillet for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Chop.
3. Toss the fennel, apple, parsley, green onion and chives in a medium size bowl. Top with lemon zest and lots of freshly ground pepper and a sprinkling of salt. Mix the lemon juice and olive oil together, and pour over the top of the veggies. Stir again.
4. Sprinkle walnuts over the salad and serve. This is also really tasty the next day when the fennel and apple have absorbed the dressing. Yum!

Happy Mayday!

Roasted Fennel, Turnip, Leek Salad with Horseradish

Pre-dressed roasted veggies

While at the Seward this weekend I one, bought a half hog (!?), and two, bought some really random veggies with no plan of what to do with them. I was trying to get things grown more locally than not, and the last hangers-on as purely local that are still in stock at the co-op are beets and turnips. There might be a few watermelon radishes left too. (I just came across a really nice roasted radish recipe that looks super delicious for the upcoming radish season!) So I got some of the WI root veggies and a few California sourced veggies too, including fennel and leeks.

I was browsing the magazines at My Charming Companion's parent's house yesterday at Easter dinner, most particularly Bon Appetit (which includes aforementioned roasted radish ideas). So tonight I came home in search of something I could do with these random veggies in my fridge - and thought of Bon Appetit's recipe collection online. There I came across the inspiration for this AMAZING salad (that they pair with trout). Their recipe uses fingerling potatoes and shallots, mine uses turnips and leeks, but is otherwise the same. Turnips, incidentally, have less carbs than beets or carrots, and I think they are delicious when roasted. I forgot about how good they are - sort of sweet and earthy at the same time.

This recipe seems pretty flexible to what you have - I tried the dressing with beets, and that was tasty, and I think carrots would be nice in here too. Play around and adjust as you want - the horseradish-mustard dressing is so nice, and the fennel and leeks are such a springy change! Yum. I ate mine with some venison steak, but I am sure fish would be nice with some of the dressing poured on top.

Fennel, Turnip, Leek Salad with Horseradish

4 medium sized turnips, unpeeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

1 medium fennel bulbs, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch wedges with some core intact 

2 leeks, sliced about 1-inch thick 

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

2 teaspoons Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper 

1 tablespoons prepared horseradish 

1 tablespoons red wine vinegar 

1 1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard 

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Here they are before they went in the oven

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Toss turnips, fennel, and shallots with 2 tablespoons oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper and arrange vegetables cut side down. Roast on low rack of oven until beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. 

2. Toss vegetables on a baking sheet and continue to roast until vegetables are tender 5-8 minutes longer. 

3. Whisk horseradish, vinegar, and mustard in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. 

4. Drizzle vinaigrette over vegetables, add parsley, and toss to combine. I also put a few fennel fronds in there. Serve warm or at room temperature.