Oh Fennel

I think this should all begin with fennel salad.

Let's wipe the slate (and digestive system) clean.

This Christmas holiday, I went up to Haliburton with my family and cousins' family. We divided the meals and I drew brunch on boxing day. I thought carefully about creating a meal that would lend a sense of "relief" to a stomach over-saturated with rich and heavy food. The result was the following recipe for fennel salad containing cleansing and digestive ingredients.

I served the fennel with an antioxidant-rich fruit salad (mango, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry & pomegranate) and quiche lorraine.

Eating this fresh and crunchy salad feels like a million bucks. It has already become a staple for my new year.

It accompanies rich food beautifully by gently cleansing the palette with fresh lemon, crunchy apple and celery, peppery parseley, vibrant mint and the light anise of fennel.

Cleansing Fennel Salad

1 bulb of fennel, shaved into half-moons

1/2 Vidalia (or sweet spanish) onion, shaved into half-moons

1 large Granny Smith apple, sliced thinly into half-moons (avoiding core)

2 stalks of celery, sliced thinly on the bias

Cut and toss together.

rind of a lemon

juice of a lemon

1/2 cup of best olive oil.

1 tsp. dijon or mustard powder (optional)

Mix and drizzle dressing.

1/4 cup of sliced, toasted almonds

a cup of parseley, chopped roughly

5 or so mint leaves

1/2 tsp. fleur de sel

generous rasping or shaving of pecorino romano cheese

freshly ground black pepper

Toss, toss, toss. Give it lots of pepper!