I was excited to realize that between the market and my garden I had all of the ingredients for Peter Berley’s shaved spring vegetable and apple salad. I was a little surprised, because it certainly isn’t spring – but all the ingredients were freshly grown.
I bought the book ‘The Flexitarian Table’ because I heard an interview with Peter Berley on NPR and they featured this very recipe. It sounded intriguing. When I first had the book in the spring, I could never find all the ingredients for this salad, so this is the first time I have made it. Initially I didn’t use the book very much, but it has become one of my most frequently used cook books and I love the seasonal focus.
Making the salad was my first experience with a mandolin and I only sliced off a tiny bit of one fingertip. I don’t think hand slicing would work as well, but you probably could used the food processor.
Ingredients:
2 fennel bulbs (I used 3 because mine were small) cored and sliced paper thin.
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives.
2 tablespoons of fennel fronds chopped
2 red apples, quartered and thinly sliced
6-8 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
4-6 sunchokes, peeled and thinly sliced.
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a medium size bowl. Add the sliced apples and vegetables and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to a day to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and add additional salt before serving if necessary.
Apparently the salad is even better the second day, so I can’t wait till tomorrow.
