Fennel and orange salad & other stories

We pass the time of day to forget how time passes 

says a man by the bar in Amélie.

I always hated talking about the time and the weather than. It literally causes me anxiety. They are two obvious that do not require any specification. Yet you will end up there. “Tomorrow is going to rain. How will we survive?” or “it’s late, make it snappy.” Both attempts of hiding the truth: an ostentatious embarrassment. It’s more convenient to ask about which ingredients will be based your dinner rather than a simple “what did you do today?” Strange beings inhabit the human race.

Like the fact that I tend to wipe the face of the people that I don’t particularly appreciate. I mask, I blur them as sordid details on TV. I remember only their hands.

I’m thinking about how often our minds, our bodies, our gestures and our words, too often unspoken, end up with carefully hiding, to defending what lies in our desires. I think about how, more often than we would like, we disclose to others, including those we love, the exact opposite of what we would like to say, stifling truth masquerading as convenience. Or resignation.Sarà un po’ sulla stessa linea del fatto che delle persone che non apprezzo particolarmente tendo a cancellarne il volto. Le maschero, le offusco, come i dettagli sconci alla tv. Ne ricordo solo le mani.

When I’m not committed in revealing my streams of consciousness, however, I cook. Although lately the time is short. And this is also the reason why often I have to feed myself only with what the fridge offers: you know, that is how the salads are born.

The fennel and orange salad is perfect for those who “have you ever made a cake?” – “Who, me? Come on, I use the oven just as a shoe rack!”, in fact, you do not need any special tool to make it. A cutting board, a sharp knife and your hands will be sufficient for the purpose.

According to some, one of the highest honors you can receive in Hollywood – except the Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy – is to see a salad bring your own name. The mine is not the Cesar is clear, and, we still accept suggestions for naming it.

When I was a little girl, eating salad meant sucking the leaves from the portion of my grandma and give them back to her without seasoning, like Barbara Streisand in The Mirror Has Two Faces, when she declare she eats salad only because he loves the dressing. Only a grandmother can love you so much to condescend to such a crap with a smile. My grandfather, however, has always supported the philosophy that we must let the “grass” (that corresponding in his mind to any raw vegetable without sauce that negate any beneficial virtues) to the goats. Thanks to the valuable lessons of my grandpa, for a long time I’ve been convinced that whoever claims to have a salad for dinner is either ill or has something to hide. As those who do not drink wine. But the salad is actually a great way to eat vegetables (and fruits), after acquiring the sad realization that the veggie menu is not particularly contemplated in my kitchen on winter season. You can eat tons of this fennel and orange salad without run 10 laps of the garden for penance. And it’s really tasty, it will also avoid the annoying “rebound effect” that – I do not know if it happens to you – assailed me always when I finished the salad, my mind says “and then, shall we eat an hamburger?”. I am sure that if I put all the energy that I put into planning an appetizing salad in conquering the world, you would call me Sire since a long time ago.

FENNEL AND ORANGE SALAD  – THE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 2 sweet fennels
• 1 orange
• A couple of handfuls of raisins
• A couple of handfuls of slivered almonds
• A few drops of lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil, a dash of grated ginger q.s.
• A pinch of turmeric and salt
• A few drops of balsamic vinegar

Matching soundtrack: Like a rolling stone, Bob Dylan

PROCESS

1. Take a fennel, remove the outer part and the ends, wash and dry it. In this way you’ll get only the most tender and crust part.
2. Cut each fennel in half and slice each part as thin as possible;
3. Put the ​​fennel to marinate with a little olive oil, few frops of lemon juice and grated ginger; leave to cool in the fridge.
4. Peel off the orange and then peel off the segments too, so cut the peeled orange in two and and then in four, slice the fruit.
5. Add the orange slice to the marinated fennel together with raisins, a few drops of balsamic vinegar and salt. Mix well and it’s ready to pass.
6. Plating and, finally, add also the almonds and a pinch of turmeric.

Ph. Sara Cartelli
© The Eat Culture