Dama Bianca. Indeed.
Fennel and Celery Salad, it's better than you think
Ok, enough with the cookies, right? Although, G and I are booked in for 2 more barbecues this weekend and I have a Chocolate Guinness Cake in mind to bring to one of them. That is if it even makes it out of the house. Does that thing not look dangerously good? It's not at all light and summery but it's supposed to rain all weekend so I think it might do just fine.
In the meantime, this girl has not forgotten her love of all things green. Even those that are so pale they are practically white.
Put your sunglasses on now if you must.
I tell you, they don't call this dish Dama Bianca for nothing.
I know fennel is not the most popular vegetable, and even I have to admit that prior to making this salad my love for fennel was somewhat conditional. I love it roasted, sauteed, and baked, but eating it raw was just not something I did.
But I try to be an open minded gal. And I had the most perfect bulb of fennel just begging to be appreciated in all it's raw glory, so I figured it was time to give it a shot.
I didn't have buffalo mozzarella on hand as the recipe calls for, so I used some ricotta salata, which is almost like feta cheese. With a simple lemon vinaigrette this salad made me quite happy, and definitely made up for all those cookies I've been indulging in lately.
I always determine the success of a recipe by whether or not I think I will make it again to serve to guests and yes, I do believe I know a few people who will enjoy this as much as I did.
I might switch up the cheese in the future, but the base salad worked well for me. It was fresh and light and the fennel, though raw, was made quite mild by the vinaigrette and by being thinly sliced.
Perhaps that was the key I've been missing all along.
And actually, I think you could even toss some white beans into the mix to to make the dish a bit heartier.
Or sliced white new potatoes.
Or even some white rice.
Or make a chicken salad out of it, and throw it in a wrap...
Oh be still my heart.
You gotta love a recipe like that.
**********
Fennel and Celery Salad (Dama Bianca) from Epicurious
note: I only cut up as much fennel and celery as I felt like eating and then reduced the vinaigrette by roughly 1/3rd. It's an easy recipe to adjust to your appetite.
Yes, I did eat the whole thing but I stopped to take a picture
halfway through because the cheese looked better crumbled.
Am I right?
Labels: recipes, salad, toronto, vegetables, vegetarian
posted by Michèle at 3:11 PM
5 Comments:
I would probably have to make this only with celery as I've never seen fennel here :( oh heck, I'll just drool over your photos...
Delicious! I wouldn't have thought to add cheese. I've made a fennel salad with granny smith apple. If you have a mandoline, the fennel is really nice in paper-thin slices with a lemony vinaigrette.
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I accidentally ordered a similar salad when I was in paris - well, I didn't accidentally order it, I deliberately ordered it - just didn't know that it had fennel in it. I was surprised at how mild the fennel was and how much I liked it. I like the idea of adding beans to your recipe.
Kat, no fennel? Hmm, well I'm sure it would be nice with just celery too.. Or as Kitt suggested, maybe some granny smith apples would do the trick!
Kitt, I think it would still be quite good without the cheese but really, cheese just makes everything a little bit better right? Next time I will definitely try fennel and apple together, it sounds right up my alley!
Laume, I was surprised at how the fennel mellowed out too--I've been cooking it all this time because I thought it would be too strong raw, but I was very wrong indeed. I'm glad you like the idea of the beans, I thought it would be a nice addition too!
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