The fennel and orange salad is a gorgeous way to work with the autumn-winter produce. A refreshing way to brighten up your meal!
So simple, quick and uncomplicated to make, it has just the right seasonal texture and flavor balance, and it’s a delightful base to build upon… Anything goes! 😋
Welcome to our plant-based recipes collection – the fruit (and veggies) of the collaboration between ottimoblog.com and appetibilis.net | Here happily edited and translated by Orsola 😀
Here is the 3, 2, 1 to a great salad:
3 Ingredients. This is a simple yet elegant salad, perfect also during the cold season, let’s say from October/November months till you get fresh fennel and oranges at the local farmer markets. That is, if you want to enjoy seasonal produce.
We all know that oranges and fennel can be found all year round. But you can tell if they are ‘in season’ because they’re cheaper, the ingredients are more aromatic, and most importantly, they taste absolutely amazing. Especially the local ones!
2 Tips – Use a mandoline slicer for cutting fennel thin as ribbons. It’s the best way to get a perfect, consistent thickness every time. It’s optional, but highly recommended. Although: Mind your fingers, this stuff is sharp!
If you prefer a crispier texture, slice the fennel a little thicker (sharp knife please!).
1 Hack – If you’re preparing this salad for several people, add a base of chopped salad, like the mâche (*) to create volume. You’ll have a more impressive presentation and you won’t have to slice as many fennel bulbs!
(*) The leaf suggested is a tender green from ‘Valerianella locusta’, commonly called mâche, cornsalad, or lamb’s lettuce. Yet, salad leaves are pretty interchangeable, simply use whatever tender leafy greens you have at hand… even the punchy arugola (rocket salad)
Recipe for Fennel Bulb and Orange Salad
Here’s the recipe… Having all the ingredients in your fridge/pantry, makes it a very easy and quick recipe 😀
[servings: 2 | time: 15 min | difficulty: easy peasy!]
*| Please note that the info and directions provided for the recipe are indicative: the end result may vary from person to person |*
Ingredients
- 1 large fennel (or two small ones)
- 1 orange (medium-large)
- 10 – 12 olives (*)
- Salt + pepper + olive oil (for seasoning)
(*) About the olives. Pick the ones preserved in oil, if you can find it. In this case, those are Taggiasca’s olives from Liguria, a region located on the northwestern side of Italy, on the way to the Alpes-Maritimes area. These type of olives belong to the Cailletier cultivar, just like French Niçoise olives.
Directions
- Clean the fennel from its outer leaves and rinse it well… (What to do with scraps? Add it to a creamy soup)
- Cut it in two and slice it very thinly with a mandoline slicer. (I prefer them thin, but taste is taste, all right.
- Clean the orange and take only the pulp.
- (For a more dramatic effect “Red passion” style – try blood oranges)
- Layer each ingredient on a plate of your choice (I used an oval one). First the fennel, then the orange segments and then the olives.
- Vinaigrette? Season with salt, oil and freshly ground pepper… and enjoy!
Notes and variations
- It’s great meal on its own (piatto unico), as a light but hearty meal… a quick fix.
- But also as a side dish for an all-vegetable main course (like our Croque-Monsieur);
- Try forking the perfect bite (fennel, orange, olive) to experience the best flavour/texture combination. You’ll feel the briny meatiness of the olives, followed by the acidity and sweetness of the citrus, and the fennel crunchiness to refresh everything.
- as an accompaniment to a cecina with vegetables (like our farfrittata), or veg ragout sautéed with a barbecue spice mix (recipe in progress).
Since Orsola cannot consume olives (and anything related to), we opted for brined capper berries and avocado oil instead… Insalata Buonissima!
The Caper berries are such a delight! They’re picked and packaged with the stems intact, looking like a ‘stemmed’ green olive 🤣
As the saying goes “Necessity is the mother of invention!”
Interesting links
Ecco la ricetta in italiano per l’Insalata di finocchi, arance e qualche olive taggiasca
More ‘Quick Bites’ Ideas
Cucina, corsi, oli essenziali.
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Cuisine, cooking lessons, essential oils.
I teach healthy cooking, test and create “plant based” recipes, also on video.
I write about food, and other stories.
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