Pear and Fennel Salad

by Missy Tippens

I actually cooked this week, y'all! :) I know, I know. You're all in shock. hahaha

I was pleased to see a good deal on fennel at the grocery store. I grabbed a bulb and decided to find a recipe that I had made years ago.

I'm pretty sure the one I made back then was the Orange and Fennel Salad from Robin Miller (Food Network). I didn't have any oranges, but still, this is close to what I made.

1 large fennel bulb sliced very thin

2 oranges peeled and sectioned (removing the white fibrous parts)

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 TBS red wine vinegar

2 TBS dried cranberries

salt and pepper to taste

First, cut off the green parts of the fennel, leaving only the bulb. You may want to save all this for soup stock. And you may want to chop and save some of the fronds to sprinkle on top for color and some flavor. I didn't think of doing so in time and had already tossed it in the trashcan. But it would have looked pretty.

Cut the bulb in half. You'll see it has a core.

Cut a triangle out to remove the core--kind of like cabbage!

Thinly slice. You may want to use a mandolin if you have it (be sure to use the hand protector!). I didn't want to try to find my mandolin (post-move) so just sliced as thinly as I could.

Thinly slice the pear as well. Mine was getting old and the skin was tough, so I peeled it. But I recommend leaving the skin on to add color and texture.

Mix the fennel and pear and set aside. Now make the dressing.

Put the vinegar in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil to emulsify it. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cranberries and orange slices (wish I'd thought to use canned mandarins!) to the fennel and pear and toss the salad with the dressing.

Do a taste test and then add a bit of salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy this light, crunchy salad!


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