Apple fennel salad recipe

Fennel... once you like it, there is no turning back. A friend once described this green, anise-tasting vegetable as one of the true pleasures of adulthood. In other words, responsibilities, schedules, and five-year plans urgently need subtle, ever-deepening gratifications such as fennel. Above all, summer or winter, it adds a fresh, alive flavour. So cook it, don't cook it. Certainly the texture sharpens the palate either way. Moreover, fennel stands on its own just fine. In other words, slice delicately.

Dress minimally with high-quality extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then add a handful of finely chopped parsley if you wish. And you have a winner right there.

Take on picnics; serve up alongside other small salads; plate up with the protein of your choice. Make more than you need and leave in the refrigerator. Certainly, it just tastes better the day after.

Fennel salad: Take fennel further

The only problem with keeping it simple? Fennel works brilliantly with a surprising array of ingredients. In other words, its bright qualities transform foods you thought you knew. It works across cooking traditions too. For instance, accompany fennel with Middle Eastern pickled lemons and harissa. Serve up with Italian burrata and radish on a hot day. Or you could go French and top with hazelnuts. And you haven't really lived til you try fennel with apples and honey. The clean flavour of fennel slices through potentially cloying sweetness. In return, apples and honey lend fennel softness. The texture of dried barberries are a nice contrast with the crunchiness of our star ingredient. And the slight bite of green onions back up fennel in tilting the dish firmly but gently away from sweetness. Finally, apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dilute honey with richness and clean flavour.

Accompany with Erbology Crackers for extra fibre and crumbly pleasure attuned to your taste buds. Just be sure not to under-dress the salad. After all, dipping your cracker into your salad dressing is to adults what dipping your cookie into your milk is to children.   

... and it's really good for you

Flavour comes first. Always. But health comes a close second. And fennel is really good for you. For example, it contains a nice amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble antioxidant which supports the immune system among other things. Further, fennel is a good source of potassium and manganese.

Additionally, it contains an impressive array of potent flavonoids, brought together in an unusual combination. Flavonoids are plant-based natural chemicals which have antioxidant effects. The main flavonoids in fennel are quite powerful. They include quercetin, apigenin, and rutin. The presence of these substances all help modern science understand the use of fennel in healing since the days of ancient Rome.

Roman writer and philosopher Pliny the Elder wrote about fennel, "Fennel has a wonderful property to mundify our sight and take away the film that overcasts and dims our eyes.” In conclusion, why not take a moment to ponder this as you clarify your worldview over your fennel, apple, and honey salad.