In my organic bin last week, I received beautiful and fragrant fennel. Although the idea of fennel has always been intriguing, I had never cooked with it before. Fennel tastes like anise or licorice and you can use the whole plant. I decided to try this fennel salad recipe and it was refreshing and so tasty!
Fennel, Apple and Celery Salad
1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1 Red Delicious apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/4 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp poppy seeds
pinch of salt
pinch of paprika
In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, honey, lemon juice, mustard, poppy seeds, salt and paprika until smooth. Add fennel, celery, grapes and apple; toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with walnuts.
I served this fennel salad with a side broiled pickerel, but any light flavored fish would be a nice complement.
Fennel is a source of iron, vitamin C, and potassium. It also has been used to aid in digestion, anemia, and even respiratory issues.
Photo from here, with thanks.