Fennel and Apple Salad

A few weeks ago while visiting my bro and his wife in Chicago, I had a simple fennel and apple salad.  It was crisp and delicious and got me thinking about my current close-minded opinion of this tasty vegetable. Why is it that I only think of fennel as a compliment to my Thanksgiving Stuffing when it can clearly stand out on its own!   So the other night,  along side our grilled chicken I made a fennel salad; and it was tasty.  Not to mention, a nice change of pace from the standard mixed green salad...   As always I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding apple cider to the dressing and throwing some Gorgonzola and walnuts on top, but this Charlie Trotter recipe is what I used as the base...

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and halved
• 2 bulbs fennel, thinly sliced

To prepare the vinaigrette: Whisk together the lemon juice, chopped tarragon, and olive and canola oils in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the salad: Cut the apple into thin slices and place in a medium bowl with the fennel. Toss with the vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shaved-Fennel-and-Apple-Salad-104117#ixzz1bNC6V1vX