Fennel, Citrus, Almonds & Cows milk cheese
Truly my favorite lettuce eaten whole! Salanova has so many spots to tuck vinaigrette and crunchy stuff into it’s leaves. Paired with an all time combination of fennel, oranges and almonds, this salad is as great in the cool Winter nights as it is in the warm Summer days. For a Vegan option, cheese can be optional.
The Ingredients
For the Salad
1 head Salanova oakleaf lettuce, cut in half
3 oz piece of cows milk cheese (Gouda, Comte or Clothbound Cheddar)
½ cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped
1 Cara Cara or Navel orange, peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons pickled fennel vinegar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoons flowering anise hyssop salt
For the Pickled Fennel
2 cups white wine vinegar
⅓ cup agave
½ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 head fennel
Peeled zest of 1 orange
1 head fennel
The Prep
Prep the Pickled Fennel
- Trim the fennel bulb. Remove the tough parts of the stalk and any broken or tough fronds.
- Using a peeler, peel the outside layer of the fennel
- Cut in ¼’s through the core.
- Cutting against the grain, slice into ⅛” thick pieces
- In a small pot, bring the vinegar, water, agave and salt to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and add the orange zest and the fennel bulb. Let sit for 1 hour.
- Cool in the refrigerator overnight
Plate Up
- Place each half of the Salanova on its own plate
- In a small bowl, mix the fennel vinegar, pickled fennel, anise hyssop salt, dice orange, almonds and olive oil. Stir gently
- Spoon the mixture evenly over each lettuce, making sure to get that vinaigrette and delicious bits in the leaf folds.
- Using a coarse microplane or ribbon microplane, grate the cheese over the top.