Salads
Fennel and radicchio salad
Radicchio is a firm favourite on the farm; we grow it for a small spell every year. It has a dark, bitter taste and needs to be balanced with some sourness, sweetness and saltiness. Mix the fennel separately to keep the white-green colour from being dulled by the lentils and balsamic. It tends to start browning when cut, so the acidic orange dressing is perfect to combat this.
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 smaller fennel bulbs
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- ½ tsp ground fennel
- olive oil
- 1 radicchio
- 1 tin dark lentils, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 shallot, finely sliced
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- 60g green olives, halved
- 60g toasted walnut pieces
- 125g ricotta cheese
- handful parsley, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Trim the stalk tops from the fennel, reserving any green fronds, and cut into quarters. Remove the tough core from each piece with a small v-shaped cut. Thinly slice each quarter, lengthways.
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Step 2
Put the fennel into a bowl and dress with half the orange juice, the ground fennel, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix together well and set to one side.
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Step 3
Remove the root end of the radicchio and break it into separate leaves. Tear the larger leaves into manageable pieces. Keep the smaller ones whole. Radicchio can be quite large so you may only need half or so.
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Step 4
Add the radicchio and drained lentils to another bowl. Dress with the vinegar, shallot, sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and some salt and pepper. Mix well, taste, adjust the seasoning accordingly and set to one side.
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Step 5
Roughly chop any fennel fronds you may have. Drain the olives and slice them in half. Break any large pieces of walnuts up.
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Step 6
Divide the radicchio and lentil mix between 2 plates. Scatter the sliced fennel artfully amongst the leaves. Spoon some of the fennel dressing across the plates.
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Step 7
Crumble over the ricotta and scatter the parsley, walnuts, olives, orange zest and any fennel fronds across the top.