Shaved Fennel Salad With Avocado & Lemon

Meet spring in a bowl: shaved fennel and asparagus, sliced avocado, chopped parsley, red onion, dried currants, and parmesan all dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Forgive me if I say this too often: I could eat this salad every day.

But I mean it: the combination of textures and flavors just tastes so fresh. It’s raw and crisp meets creamy and rich meets sharp and sweet… a foolproof formula, really.

As you might imagine, this salad makes most sense as a side dish — I’ve been serving it aside these black lentils with spinach — but it’s amazingly filling and satisfying on its own. With a hunk of bread on the side, I can call dinner done.

The recipe comes from Stacy Adimando’s Piatti , a cookbook all about plates and platters for sharing inspired by Italy, which I am loving. When the book arrived, I made the roasted escarole with labne and pistachios, which was incredibly delicious, and a few days later, when my parents were visiting, I made the above-mentioned black lentils, which, incidentally, are garnished with buratta.

Days after my parents left, each texted me separately about the lentils — Friends, these lentils are memorable — and each sent along photo-evidence of the lentils continuing to be enjoyed back in CT.

Stacy, if you are unfamiliar, is the editor-in-chief of Saveur and the co-author of a number of cookbooks including the James Beard Award-winning Nopalito . She comes from a big American family of Southern Italian lineage, and knows a thing or two about assembling “generous, abundant, rustic, and seasonal” spreads to feed the masses.

I’ll share more about Stacy and Piatti when I get that lentil recipe up, but first:

• A mandoline is not essential, but I find it very helpful for slicing the fennel thinly. I recently bought a new Benriner mandoline — my old one was ancient — and wow: what a difference. Highly recommend: $34. It comes with a guard, too. What I love about using a mandoline for this recipe, is that there’s no need to core the fennel bulbs — when shaved thinly, the core is fine left intact.
• If you soak the currants in a little bit of hot water and vinegar — this is something I learned from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook — they will soften/plump up a bit.
• The original recipe calls for snap peas, which I used, and which I loved. Snap peas, however, can be tricky — when they’re good, they’re amazing; when they’re not good, they’re stringy and tough. When I couldn’t find good snap peas, I subbed in raw, shaved asparagus, and they worked beautifully. Later in the summer, raw, shaved zucchini will be a nice option here, too.
• Swap in other herbs for the parsley: mint, chives, or dill would all work nicely here.

Stacy Adimando’s Piatti:

Description

Adapted from Stacy Adimando’s Piatti

A few notes:

• A mandoline is not essential, but I find it very helpful for slicing the fennel thinly. I recently bought a new Benriner mandoline , and wow: what a difference. Highly recommend: $34.

• 1 tablespoon dried currants

• splash white balsamic vinegar

• 2 fennel bulbs, sliced thinly on a mandoline or with a knife

• 1/4 cup (or more) loosely packed fennel fronds

• 1/4 lb. asparagus, peeled with a peeler, see notes above or snap peas ( 100 g ) snap peas, stemmed and sliced on the diagonal

• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 – 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

• salt, I’ve been using Maldon sea salt

• freshly cracked pepper to taste

• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or Pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1. Place the currants in a small bowl. Splash in some vinegar (maybe a teaspoon) and then cover with hot tap water — about a tablespoon. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the fennel, fronds, asparagus or snap peas, onion, and parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss. Add the olive oil and fresh lemon juice and toss again. Taste. If it’s too tart, add more olive oil by the tablespoon till it tastes right. If it needs more dressing, add more olive oil and lemon to taste. If it’s not tart enough, add more lemon (or a splash of vinegar).
3. Drain the currants and add to the bowl. Add the avocado, and toss again. Shave in Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste. Toss. Taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary, and serve.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Dress & Toss
• Cuisine: Italian, American

Description

Adapted from Stacy Adimando’s Piatti

A few notes:

• A mandoline is not essential, but I find it very helpful for slicing the fennel thinly. I recently bought a new Benriner mandoline , and wow: what a difference. Highly recommend: $34.

• 1 tablespoon dried currants

• splash white balsamic vinegar

• 2 fennel bulbs, sliced thinly on a mandoline or with a knife

• 1/4 cup (or more) loosely packed fennel fronds

• 1/4 lb. asparagus, peeled with a peeler, see notes above or snap peas ( 100 g ) snap peas, stemmed and sliced on the diagonal

• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

• 1/4 – 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

• salt, I’ve been using Maldon sea salt

• freshly cracked pepper to taste

• 1 avocado, thinly sliced

• Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or Pecorino Romano, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1. Place the currants in a small bowl. Splash in some vinegar (maybe a teaspoon) and then cover with hot tap water — about a tablespoon. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the fennel, fronds, asparagus or snap peas, onion, and parsley. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss. Add the olive oil and fresh lemon juice and toss again. Taste. If it’s too tart, add more olive oil by the tablespoon till it tastes right. If it needs more dressing, add more olive oil and lemon to taste. If it’s not tart enough, add more lemon (or a splash of vinegar).
3. Drain the currants and add to the bowl. Add the avocado, and toss again. Shave in Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste. Toss. Taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary, and serve.

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Dress & Toss
• Cuisine: Italian, American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2019/05/31/shaved-fennel-salad-with-avocado-lemon/

Sarah Copeland, author of The Newly Wed Cookbook and Feast , has a new book out: Every Day is Saturday . It’s filled with recipes and strategies for cooking every day of the week, the goal being to keep that weekend-cook mentality going strong all week long.

I have made one and only one recipe, but it’s a good one: The Only Green Sauce You Need.

It’s a mix of herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and something with body: avocado, miso, nuts or tahini. I went the avocado route and took Sarah’s suggestion to smear if over toast, which I then topped with a 7-minute egg and sea salt. No regrets.

I’ve since used it another toast with sliced, mashed avocado — avocado on avocado is never a bad thing, right? I’ve also smeared it over — wait for it — more toast, which I then topped with salted cucumber ribbons and dukkah (see below).

But the uses for this sauce extend far beyond toast ..

How To Use This All-Purpose Green Sauce

Use this green sauce as…

• … a dip for veggies.
• … a spread in sandwiches.
• … a sauce for grilled fish or shrimp.
• … a condiment for fried eggs.
• … a flavor swirl (that’s a thing, right?) in savory yogurt bowls.
• … a dressing for roasted vegetables or chicken.
• … and, of course, a smear for toast.

There is nothing you won’t want to slather this sauce on all summer long.

Here’s the three-step play-by-play: 1. Gather your ingredients. Roughly chop the herbs, juice the lemon, peel the garlic, scoop out some avocado flesh.

2. Throw the ingredients in a food processor or blender.

3. Pulse till blended but with a bit of texture. Adjust flavor as needed.

How to use it? The possibilities are endless, but I highly recommend you start here: olive oil toast + jammy eggs.

Then here: Olive oil toast + salted cucumber ribbons + dukkah.

Sarah Copeland’s Every Day is Saturday :

Description

From Sarah Copeland’s: Every Day is Saturday .

I love the versatility of this sauce — I find myself dipping carrots into it when I need a snack to slathering it over toast for lunch to tossing it with grilled shrimp for dinner.

Avocado: I love the creaminess the avocado lends here, but in place of it you could use something, as Sarah says, “with body.” She offers miso, nuts, and tahini as alternatives to the avocado. I’ve been cutting 1 avocado in half and using the smaller half for this recipe.

For the green sauce:

• 1 bunch (about 3 cups , 3 ounces) fresh parsley, cilantro, arugula, mustard greens or a mix, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch chives (about 1 ounce ), roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon or lime (about 2 tablespoons ), plus more to taste
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup avocado (see notes above)
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

For the eggs + toast:

• eggs, however many you need
• extra-virgin olive oil
• good bread, sliced thickly
• flaky sea salt

1. To make the sauce: Add the greens (stems and all), chives, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, avocado, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor. Pulse until broken down — add water by the tablespoon as needed to thin and get the blade whirring. Scrape down and pulse again until the sauce is broken down and easy to dollop with a spoon. Taste. Adjust taste as needed with more lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Adjust consistency with more water or olive oil by the tablespoon.
2. To make the toast: bring a small (or large depending on how many eggs you are cooking) pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath. Carefully lower the eggs into the pot of boiling water. Adjust heat so water is gently simmering. Cook 7 minutes. Transfer eggs to ice bath.
3. Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon (or more depending on how many slices of bread you are toasting) of olive oil. Toast bread on each side for 1-2 minutes, checking often to ensure the slices are browning evenly. Remove toast when the slices are golden and crisped to your liking.
4. Smear green sauce over a slice of toast. Peel an egg. Cut it directly over the slice of toast into quarters. Sprinkle with sea salt. Repeat with any remaining slices of toast and eggs.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Sauce
• Method: Food Processor
• Cuisine: American