Celery, Fennel and Apple Winter Salad

Since this is a food blog first, I thought i’d start posting a few recipes between the travel posts. Here is a salad I made when I was still at home and plan to make again in the next few days but this time I will add peeled orange segments to it. After all, we are in Valencia, the land of Valencia oranges. I thought I’d share it now, and add the version with oranges later.

A post about Valencia is coming up. What a beautiful city. It’s one of those places that will be hard to leave.

Salad is more than just leafy greens on the plate. It’s an opportunity to feature seasonal vegetables in their raw state, crisp and full of flavour, happy to stand on their own and “show their stuff”. You’d be surprised at how wonderful a root vegetables salad can be, thinly sliced and dressed in a light vinaigrette, or a broccoli salad with creamy dressing, or a fennel salad with orange or grapefruit and honey vinaigrette.

Cutting the vegetables into paper thin slices with a mandolin slicer, or on the diagonal, Asian style, or into tiny floret makes them more manageable to eat and more pleasing to the eye than the usual vegetables “sticks” you commonly find. Combine the unexpected to surprise your palate with bursts of flavours and a variety of textures. And remember, when it comes to dressing a salad, as with fashion, remember that less is more (well, in fashion you can break that rule now and then if you know what you are doing:).

Vegetables that are often relegated to soups, like celery for example, get to shine in the salad featured in this post. I was chopping celery to add to a lentil soup, but a few bites of the crisp and full of moisture aromatic vegetable inspired me to give it a leading role in a salad for lunch. It was crispy and refreshing and interesting to the palate so I thought I’d share it with you.  Surprise your palate, your never know where it may lead to.

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Ingredients:

 

1 small head of celery

1/2 bulb of fennel

1 small red apple

2 belgian endive

A small wedge of a radicchio, shredded

A handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 orange, segments removed, reserve juice

Shaved parmesan

Chopped candied nuts

Honey-orange dressing (recipe below)

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Directions:

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Chop the celery on the diagonal into 1/4 inch slices.

Cut the half fennel in two and slice thinly on a mandolin slices.

Slice the endive horizontally into rounds.

Cut the radicchio into then ribbons.

Cut the segment out of the orange (online video directions here)

Quarter the apples, remove core and slice thinly on a mandolin.

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Assembling:

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Combine celery, fennel, endive and radicchio and pile in a hip on a serving plate.

Add apple and orange slices and drizzle with the dressing.

Shave parmesan over and sprinkle with parsley and candied nuts.

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Honey-Orange Dressing

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2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Juice from the one orange

A pinch of salt

1 tablespoon honey

6 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a small jar, screw on the lid and shake until well blended. Taste, adding more salt, vinegar or lemon juice as necessary.

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