Culture. Eat it
2 October 2015
“What about a salad with fennel and bacon?” And so, it was born… A weeping fridge, a cold that you just don’t want going to market, a “What you’re going to cook for dinner?”. Putting together three little things, and here it is: easy, speedy, done! The colors are changing outside the window, you want tastes, strong, smoky tastes, the smell of fireplace. You want to burrow under the covers at the first sound of the alarm, the cool breeze fills your room as soon as the window open. The fact is that the fall, in silence, arrived. Tiptoeing is also entered in the kitchen, in this salad that warms you.
Level of difficulty: absent, it’s a disarming ease
Matching soundtrack: Hanging On by Ellie Gouding
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
- 1 fennel per person (I recommend “early” fennels, small, sweet and crunchy)
- 150 gr. of speck (as I say you before, it’s a typical food from Northern Italy- it’s a smoked ham that has been seasoned, cured and air dried. You can replace it with bacon)
- 80 gr. of walnuts
- Extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper q.s.
PROCESS
The step that requires more skills, and with that I say it all, is slicing fennel. Wash them, dry, remove the ends and cut in half. Now, armed with a good knife, slice the fennels thinly, thinner than you can. This really will make a difference, it must be cut icing to marry well with the other ingredients both at consistency and flavor level – this will be changing much I assure you. Now I devote to serving plate and season with olive oil, salt, a little pepper and a few drops of balsamic vinegar.
Now is the turn of nuts, which are sear in the pan to release their flavor. Just a couple of minutes at most at low heat, in a non-stick pan. Once they’re ready, fragmented with your fingers and then add to the fennels.
In the same pan where you have previously blanched walnuts, sauté the speck (or bacon) beforehand cut into strips with a little oil, until it becomes crispy. When it’s ready pour it over the salad and mix all together. Healthy, light, tasty and ready to be served!
I send you a kiss and I wish you a lovely weekend.
Photography: Sara Cartelli.
© The Eat Culture.
Author
Bio:
Once upon a time there was a 30 years old girl, and she has not the slightest idea what it would be at 32: one, no one but for sure no one hundred thousand. Daughter, sister, friend, mom of a dog, woman of an amazing man. Thinker fulltime, practices the Universal Love. Always looking for which direction take to and who to be doing it. Thank God everything flows. Panta Rei. And in the end, as in a beautiful garden Bahai, she will be delighted by lighting… and she lived happily ever after.
