The Ultimate Fall Salad

Beautiful ruby red jewels have started to appear in my supermarket's produce aisle...it's pomegranate season.

For years I passed pomegranates by without giving much of a thought to them-always intimidated by the odd looking insides revealed when sliced open. But in a moment of bravery I sliced one open and actually tasted one of the little seeds and that's all she wrote-from September to January I can't get enough of them.

Truth be told, I don't love salads. Don't get me wrong I like them and I eat them all the time mostly because I know they are good for you. But you know what? I love this salad. I mean I really love it-I could eat it every day, love it. At the risk of sounding too superlative this is the ultimate fall salad. The crispness of the apples combined with the anise flavor of the fennel is perfectly complemented by the tartness of the pomegranate. I recommend using Cortland apples because they stay white longer than most apples and they are a perfect texture for salads.

The California Pomegranate Council offers some tips for no mess removal of the seeds here.

Apple, Fennel, Walnut and Pomegranate Salad with White Pepper Parmesan Vinaigrette

1 medium sized head of fennel, very thinly sliced

1 medium Cortland apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks

2 tablespoon walnuts

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon finely chopped scallion (white part only)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1 Pom Wonderful Fresh Pomegranate

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the fennel, apple and walnuts in a medium sized bowl.

Combine the vinegar, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, scallion and pepper in a blender or small food processor; process until smooth.

Pour the vinaigrette over the fennel and apple and toss to coat. Divide the salad between two plates. Slice the pomegranate in half and remove arils. Garnish each salad with the pomegranate arils and season each salad with the salt.

Yield: 2 salads

Pick a Peck of Pickled Fennel

When we first moved into our home about 12 years ago, it had a beautiful vegetable garden in the side yard that was surrounded by the ubiquitous suburban white picket fence. I envisioned baskets brimming with farmer’s market quality vegetables that I would soon be transforming into healthful meals for my family. I saw myself, hoe in hand; laboring on the land creating a colorful garden of culinary delights. That dream lasted exactly one summer. The shade of the towering white oaks circling our yard created a garden filled with mold and rot…well, maybe my lack of garden knowledge and skill had something to do with it. My kind neighbor (no doubt disturbed by their view of our now garden eyesore) reminded me that we live in a town with farm stands aplenty, "...leave the gardening and farming to the experts" she said. So fast forward 10 years, we have about 5 or 6 reliable farm stands (in season of course) and most recently (one month to be exact) one year round Whole Foods Market.

Probably the most exciting fringe benefit of getting a new Whole Foods Market in our town is the fact that the other supermarkets in town have really stepped it up in the produce department. Our town wide selection of organic produce has increased exponentially. A few months ago it seemed that things like jicama and fennel were exotic, once in a blue moon produce department stocked items and now I have my pick of the crop at all the supermarkets in town.

On a recent trip to Whole Foods I picked up a head of fennel. I have decided to try my hand at pickling. I have never pickled anything (except maybe myself on a few occasions). I found a Martha Stewart recipe for pickled fennel and I'm going to give it a go. The Martha Stewart recipe called for 9 bulbs of fennel-I just wanted to taste it, not make a year's supply, so I tried adapting it for 1 bulb. I'll let you know how it turns out in a few days.



Pickled Fennel

1 Fennel bulb
2 tablespoons orange zest
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 whole piece star anise

Wash the fennel and cut away any bruises. Trim ends and slice into very thin rings; place the rings in a small bowl or jar and stir in the orange zest.

Bring the water, vinegar, salt, sugar and star anise to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour the hot liquid over the fennel; cover tightly and bring to room temperature.

Store in the refrigerator and serve in a day or two.

Update: the fennel was ok... I served it with grilled fish. I'm not sure I like the whole pickling thing though. I really prefer fennel raw in a salad or maybe sauteed with pasta and chicken.