FENNEL, RADICCHIO, CITRUS & POMEGRANATE SALAD with wasabi vinaigrette!

This FENNEL, RADICCHIO, CITRUS & POMEGRANATE SALAD WITH WASABI VINAIGRETTE is guaranteed to get your taste buds jumping. Yes, a salad should be this exciting to the senses!
A few weeks back I had the pleasure of sitting down with my dear friends Nancy and Allan to a seriously memorable meal. I’ve always known these two avowed foodies appreciate good food, I just didn’t know they were going to channel their inner MasterChef and create a meal on par with a five-star restaurant!

They served a salad similar to this, and as soon as the plates hit the table I experienced a sensory overload: the appearance, the aroma, the composition, and then the taste; it’s not often that I take a long pause before digging into something that promises good taste.

I’ve taken their lead and decided to pair it with my new favourite vinaigrette. Here are a few things I suggest when you go to replicate it.

FENNEL – Fennel is a distinctly flavoured perennial herb (yes, an herb!) that’s a member of the carrot family (yes, carrot kin!). If you’ve never had fennel, you can expect a subtle anise or licorice flavour. I often overlook it in the veggie section at the market, but now have a great reason to reach for it more often. In this application, it delivers a solid flavour profile.

As an aside, slicing the fennel almost paper-thin is essential. I’ve listed my favourite VEGETABLE MANDOLIN in the AMAZON LINKS below. If you don’t have one, prepare to have your knife skills tested; thin fennel slices are a must for this salad.

RADICCHIO – Here’s another vegetable I need to use more. A member of the chicory family, radicchio gets top marks for colour but also has an interesting hint of bitterness with a spicy finish. If you’ve never enjoyed it, let this be your introduction.

POMEGRANATE – What can I say, I’ve loved this funky-looking, fabulous-tasting fruit since I was a tyke. Adding it to this salad gives it a tangy sweetness, and of course, some pop!

ORANGE & GRAPEFRUIT – Navels and pinks only please - this salad should be prepared only when you can find these two essential ingredients at their peak. Juicy, sweet and bursting with flavour is the order of the day!

MICROGREENS – If you haven’t already added microgreens to your diet, I’m urging you to do so tout de suite! I reference it in the video as a moment to garner extra “ohs and ahs” for presentation, but we can’t discount their nutritional value, as they’re loaded with vitamins and minerals (and they look pretty too!)

VINAIGRETTE – I’m going to post the vinaigrette recipe in our City Slicker YouTube channel the day after we post this. Preparing the vinaigrette is easy enough, but I want to mention two things: the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of wasabi but I’ve started adding a bit more. Make the vinaigrette, and adjust the wasabi according to taste. Second thing, I suggest you transfer the vinaigrette into a squeeze bottle (LINK below). Adding little squirts and drizzles from the bottle gets the dressing into all those glorious nooks and crannies without compressing the salad.

Looking for a lovely main to follow this starter? How about LAMB STEW WITH CREAMY WILD MUSHROOMS, and for dessert, CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CUPS.

Serve up this FENNEL, RADICCHIO, CITRUS & POMEGRANATE SALAD WITH WASABI VINAIGRETTE and turn your salad course into the star of your next dinner.

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