Orange and Fennel Salad

View from our hotel in Tuscany, Italy. Photo By Stanley Hu

We had a simple but glorious orange and fennel salad during a lunch at a farmhouse in Tuscany, so when I was planning the menu for an Italy-inspired lunch, I knew that I wanted to make this.

TOOLS:

• I used a simple mandolin to slice the fennel oh-so-thinly (I have this one)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 fennel bulb
• 2 Oranges (I thought I was buying navel, but they ended up being Cara Cara, which was a nice touch)
• 1 tablespoon good quality olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• A squirt of mustard

YIELD: Serves 6-8

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash the fennel and reserve some of the fronds for a garnish later. Slice the bulb down the middle and peel away the tough outer layer if necessary. 
2. Use the mandolin to slice the fennel into thin slices (and mind your fingers whenever using a sharp blade)
3. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, and a squirt of mustard together in a medium-sized bowl. The mustard acts as an emulsifier and adds a bit of tanginess. This mixture will taste quite tart, but the oranges that we'll add later will balance this out
4. Add the shaved fennel to the olive oil mixture and let it sit for 15 minutes or more
5. Remove the skins of the oranges with a knife then slice 
6. Combine the oranges with the fennel mixture and serve with the frond garnish. 

This can be prepared a few hours in advance.

Fennel sliced thinly with a mandolin

peel the oranges with knife to remove all the pith 

Finished product, garnished with fennel fronds