Last week I childishly pouted that no one really likes fennel salads and so many of you said you wanted one. I’m glad I got the outside confirmation I needed to share a new one here. This fennel salad is from Café Altro Paradiso which shares a chef—Ignacio Mattos—with two other New York restaurants estela and Flora Bar. What I love about the cuisine at these restaurants is that there’s a quiet minimalism to each dish that belies the true complexity of flavors. That’s especially evident in the salads. My favorite at estela is this endive salad which looks like the most boring pile of lettuce until you find the heap of loudly flavorful texture and crunch underneath to scoop up the leaves. This fennel salad looks as unremarkable as it comes out: a mountain of shaved bulb. But it comes in a tangy mix of crushed olives thinly sliced stems finely chopped leaves sharp cheese lemon zest wine vinegar olive oil and herbs and I'm not sure I'll ever want to stop eating it.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 Well Done | 2017-03-13 17:47:02 |  1,363 Views |
How to make Shaved Fennel with Orange and Olives | Recipe | Well Done
Fennel is divisive. Olives are divisive. I know this salad isn’t for everyone — I mean what’s really out there besides puppies kittens and a thriving postal service — and if you’re going to tell me you like this except for the fennel and/or the olives shh you don’t have to because I already know. I’ll have something you’ll like better next week. Everyone gets a turn. I’ve totally gone Mom Voice haven’t I?
But if you’re even a little hesitant you should know that this dish has already won over many people. I usually make it whenever it’s convenient and keep it in two containers: the shaved fennel bulb in one and the olive mixture in the other because the complexity comes out better when it’s not mixed for so long. Salads like this which keep well in the fridge because they don’t contain easily wilted lettuce are a staple in our summer cooking. These bean salads broccoli salads carrot salads and more are the kind of dishes you can pull out at the end of the day and serve alone or with something else: focaccia a simple aglio e olio spaghetti a grilled steak or chicken thighs if you’re so inclined. I hope this makes it into your easy summer rotation too.
Fennel here and elsewhere: There are two more fennel salads here one with blood oranges and one with prosciutto and pomegranate so they both feel very wintery. There’s also this green salad with a fennel seed vinaigrette. Oh and also a fennel seed ice cream which I love even though few others do. Finally there’s a fennel-pear-celery-hazelnut salad in Smitten Kitchen Every Day that I jokingly call the Haters’ Salad because it has so many reviled ingredients.
