This salad is one of my favorites of all time. Quite literally. It’s more unusual in that it uses raw artichokes, but trust me on this one. The paring of nutty Parmesan with the sweet anise properties of fennel and the elegant earthiness of artichoke is ethereally delicious, yet hearty. It’s a lovely make-ahead salad, too, which makes it perfectly suited to dinner parties.
Artichoke: Dip each instrument in lemon juice and rub each newly cut surface with half a lemon, moving the artichoke slices to rest in acidulated water as soon as they are cut.
1. Cut off artichoke leaves ½ inch from base.
2. Peel off leaves until lender green inner leaves exposed.
3. Trim bottom of the stem of the artichoke and peel length of stem with paring knife or vegetable peeler.
4. Using a paring knife, round outside of heart and smooth out the place where the stem meets the base.
5. Cut artichoke in half.
6. Use melon baller to scoop out choke.
7. Lay cut side down and trim thin vertical slices (If it is too difficult to deal with the full length of the artichoke, sever the heart from the stem and slice separately).
8. Leave to soak in acidulated water while prepare fennel.
Fennel:
9. Cut tops and base off fennel. Remove tough outer layer and cut in half vertically.
10. Lay cut side down and slice as thinly as possible, producing half moons. Can use mandolin for this.
11. Prepare dressing and leave all ingredients to marinate at least 2 hours → overnight. It’s character will be fundamentally offered if it gets a good night’s sleep. It will lose it’s crunchy and become fondant, or melting, inasmuch as a fibrous vegetable can. I like it both ways. It’s spunkier if left only for a couple hours, robust and filling. Overnight, it will become mild and delicious. Try them both!
12. Shave as much Parmesan as desired over the salad 5 minutes before serving, mix, and let cheese lightly absorb dressing (You will probably need more than you think).
13. Just prior to serving, shave an additional quantity of Parmesan over the top. This lends decorative beauty for the presentation, and allows the possibility for cheese slivers that are fully permeated by the dressing, and for some that retain their very personal cheesy taste and flaky texture.
Variation:
• Use Meyer lemons in place of regular lemons when in season. In this case, use more juice though, as Meyer lemons are significantly less acidic.
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