I saw this recipe in Cooking Light – and because of my obsession with fennel, I had to make it. The only problem was that I do not have a mandoline. So, after doing some reasearch online – I decided I would go to the store and buy one. I cook enough, I should probably just have one, as I was justifying the expense. I was just about to leave, when my mother called – and convinced me not to bother. She has one – top of the line – and she said it is hard to use and wouldn’t spend the money. So I settled on my back-up plan – using a good vegetable peeler – and it worked great. You can see by the picture, the fennel was definitely shaved thin – and the salad was terrific. So don’t worry if you don’t have a mandoline – a good old-fashioned vegetable peeler will do just fine.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 medium fennel bulbs with stalks (about 4 pounds)
- 2 cups orange sections (about 2 large oranges)
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted green olives
Preparation
Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.
Trim tough outer leaves from fennel; mince feathery fronds to measure 1 cup. Remove and discard stalks. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise; discard core. Thinly slice bulbs. Add fronds, fennel slices, and orange sections to bowl; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with olives.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, click here: Fennel Slaw with Orange Vinaigrette