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November
2004 Recipe
Salad of Mushrooms and Fennel
Be sure the
mushrooms are fresh so they show white and firm beside the pale
green fennel.
Serves 4
-
2 small fennel
bulbs (about 1 pound)
-
1⁄2 pound
mushrooms
-
3 ounces
oil-cured black olives, pitted and halved
-
3 to 4
tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
-
2-ounce wedge
of Parmesan cheese
For the
vinaigrette
-
juice of 1
lemon
-
1 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
-
salt and pepper
to taste
-
1⁄2 cup olive
oil
Make the
vinaigrette: Whisk the lemon juice with the mustard, salt, and
pepper, then gradually whisk in the oil so the vinaigrette
emulsifies and thickens slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning
(remember the olives and Parmesan cheese will be salty).
Trim the stem and
root of the fennel bulbs, reserving 4 tops for decoration, and
halve them through the root. Slice them very thinly, cutting
through stem and root, so the root holds each slice together. Toss
with about half of the vinaigrette and marinate 1/2 to 1 hour.
Trim the stems of
the mushrooms level with the caps and wipe the caps with a damp
cloth. Set them stem side down on the cutting board and slice them
as thinly as possible. Toss with the fennel mixture. Add the
olives, parsley, and the rest of the vinaigrette and mix gently.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Pile the salad on
4 plates and decorate with the fennel tops. Hold the wedge of
Parmesan cheese over each plate and, with a vegetable peeler,
shave a few thin curls on top.
Getting Ahead:
The fennel can be sliced ahead and left to marinate up to an hour,
but the mushrooms and parsley should be added just before serving.
Recipe from
The Good Cook by Anne Willan, published October 2004 by
Stewart, Tabori and Chang.
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