Fennell and Fruit Salad
Source: Pamela Dunn
This salad can be made a day in advance and will keep, refrigerated
for several days if stirred occasionally.
Ingredients
- 4 Large Bulbs of Fennell
- 1 Vidalia Onion, sliced paper thin.
- 2 cups Hard Tart Apples, sliced 1/4" and place in vinegar.
- 4-15oz cans Mandarin Oranges, drain and reserve juice.
- 1 cup Gourmet Seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Dried Cranberries
- 1cup Fresh Chopped Dill
Preparation
- Begin with all ingredients prepared. Timing is important.
- Pour half the reserved juices over the cranberries in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the majority of juice is absorbed. Let cool.
- Trim Fennell bulb base and stalks and rinse remaining bulb. Slice bulbs to 1/8" on Mandolin or by hand. Combine in large bowl with apples and vinegar.
- Separate 1/3 cup Fennell fern from stem and coarsely chop and gently combine oranges, onions, dill and fennel and fold into fennel mixture.
- Allow salad to cure on the counter for up to 2 hours stirring carefully every 20-30 minutes. Salt to taste after curing time.
From Colander to Classroom
An Educational Experience
Fennel - Foeniculum vulgare
Fennel, with its pale green color and pleasant, aromatic aroma, is considered indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, whence it spread to India, Egypt and China. It followed civilization, especially where Romans colonized, and may be found growing wild in many parts of the world upon dry soils near the sea-coast and upon river-banks.
In American history, the Puritans thought of fennel as a "meeting seed." Meeting seeds were seeds of various herbs which parishioners chewed during church meetings to stay awake. Fennel was considered to be an appetite suppressant by the Puritans, and they would chew fennel seeds during periods of fasting to keep themselves from growing hungry.
Fennel is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses, and is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe.
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