Recipes
Grana Padano Cheese, Apple & Fennel Salad
This light and refreshing apple and fennel salad topped with Grana Padano cheese is from Canadian Chef Victor Barry.
Ingredients
For the salad:
2 heads of fennel
1 Granny smith apple
½ cup of ground
Grana Padano cheese
¼ bunch of chopped chives
1 cup of fennel tops
(just the greens)
1 piece of lemon, zested
For the lemon thyme dressing:
½ pieces of shallots (2 tbsp)
½ tbsp of honey
3 sprigs of thyme
½ cup of lemon juice
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
2 tbsp of white wine vinegar
1 piece of lemon zested
¼ tbsp of ground black pepper
1 ½ cup of olive oil
1 tsp of salt
For the candied sunflower seeds:
1 cup of sunflower seeds
1 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of honey
¼ tsp of salt
Directions
Make the salad:
Shave the fennel with a mandolin or sliced as fine as possible. Cut the apple into 4 pieces and slice them all. Pick the tops of the fennel.
Make the salad dressing:
Macerate the shallots with thyme, salt, and black pepper for about 10 minutes. Split the recipe in two and blend everything together in a blender.
Make the candied sunflower seeds:
Preheat the oven to 325F. Mix everything together in a bowl. Pour everything on a tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the seeds turn a golden-brown colour and be sure to mix the seeds a couple of times while baking for a more even colour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When the seeds have completely cooled, break them up a bit leaving small chunks.
To plate:
Toss the fennel with some of the vinaigrette and sunflower seeds. Place in a bowl. Scatter the apples, fennel tops, and some more sunflower seeds. Zest a little lemon on top, sprinkle.
Makes 6 servings.