Fennel salad

Fennel, orange and pine nut salad with a honey mustard dressing

So often I buy fennel with little or no idea what I am going to do with it. I don't think I'm even that fond of the aniseed taste. Once I made a Jamie Oliver recipe which braised it in a bath of white wine and tomato, garnished with black olives. It was sublime. I vaguely remember using it in some sort of gratin with cheese and breadcrumbs, providing a crispy, tasty topping to the melting-ly soft fennel below, but that's about it. Neil's not a huge fan, so usually I skip it. Sometimes, however, I am seduced by it's beauty and buy one with good intentions. This time I decided to let the full aniseed flavour shine through, untempered by the mellowing that cooking it provides.

Recipe : Fennel and orange salad

1 bulb fennel

1 Naval orange

1 handful pinenuts

1 tbsp fennel leaves

1 chili 

Dressing

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp orange blossom honey

1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

One bulb of fennel was sliced very finely and soaked in icy cold water for 1 hour to help it retain its crunch. Drained and dried, I added 1 naval orange, cut into segments, a handful of pine nuts, dry roasted in a pan for a few minutes, the feathery leaves from the top of the bulbs and 1 chili, sliced finely. For the dressing I mixed 1 tsp Dijon mustard with 1 tsp orange blossom honey, 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt. It was good enough but not outstanding.