Simple, exquisitely crisp and seriously refreshing, this ultralight dish is open to broad interpretation. Try it as an appetizer, a side dish, a salad course, a lunch entree, or as a palate cleanser between dinner and dessert. I actually like it for dessert altogether, but that’s probably just me.
Whatever its placement in your meal, be sure to serve it cold, and do try to get blood oranges, if you can. The deep color will deepen the experience. Of course, this will taste just fine with orange oranges, as well.
This recipe requires a mandolin, which is a small, hand-held vegetable slicing apparatus that resembles a miniature washboard. A mandolin enables you to shave vegetables heartbreakingly thin, which is part of the ambience of this particular dish.
Mandolins can be pricey in upscale kitchen-supply stores, but are relatively inexpensive in Asian markets. I highly recommend that you get one, even if for this dish alone, as I suspect you’ll be making this often.
One more thing about the mandolin: Use it very carefully. It’s easy to cut yourself if you don’t bring your undivided attention to the task, so just pay careful attention while working.
If you cover this tightly and refrigerate it, it will keep surprisingly well for up to two days.
Shaved fennel with red onion, olive oil and blood oranges
1 large fennel bulb (1 to 1½ pounds), shaved (4 to 5 cups)
½ medium red onion, also shaved (about ½ cup)
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
3 blood oranges — peeled, seeded and sectioned
A handful of fronds from the fennel, snipped into tiny pieces with scissors
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine the shaved fennel, red onion, olive oil and salt in a medium-sized bowl and toss with a fork. Add the oranges, and stir gently. Cover and chill until cold (unless the ingredients were very cold to begin with).
Just before serving, toss in the snipped, feathery fronds from the fennel. Top each serving with a few grinds of black pepper. Makes 4 to 5 servings.
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