Warm Fennel Salad

It’s been a very hectic couple of weeks, the best bit of which was a long weekend in Antibes…..my absolute favourite part of the South of France. Chic of course but also a proper French town, which inevitably means a wonderful market. So although dining out can be tough for vegetarians, cooking in is always a pleasure, with a huge variety of fresh produce, dried pulses, olives and oils.  I was also delighted to show off my new culinary knowledge .... yes… baby spinach is called ‘pousse’!

The stacks of fennel reminded me of a beautiful spring salad that Mo and I adapted when running workshops for Riverford Organic Vegetables. A greatly under-used vegetable in this country, partially I suspect because we have no idea how to take it apart. (I always start by taking off the chunky stem and lopsided feathery bits – do not be fooled into thinking they are useful for garnish – stock maybe…)

Fennel, French Bean and Leek Salad

_________________________________________

Ingredients

300g French beans trimmed

500g leeks, trimmed and halved.

Small bulb fennel, thickly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Dressing

1 tbsp black olive paste (not tapenade!)

1 tsp grain mustard

Pinch sugar

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp chopped herbs (parsley, dill, basil)

Makes enough for 6.

First of all cook the beans in boiling water for 3-4 minutes until al dente, drain and refresh with cold water to keep the lovely green colour.

Then blanch the leeks briefly for 2 minutes. Take these out with a slotted spoon and add the fennel slices and continue to simmer for 5 minutes before draining. When cooking fennel it’s always useful to blanch first otherwise it can take an age to soften. Once blanched cut the leeks into 6cm lengths.

Now heat up a nice solid griddle pan, “paint” the fennel slices and leeks with olive oil and griddle until tender and slightly charred. Meanwhile make the dead easy dressing so it’s ready to pour over the warm vegetables. To serve scatter over the pine nuts and maybe add some oven roasted tomatoes for colour and sweetness.