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Still making this fig and fennel salad that I had years ago at June Wine Bar; it also works well with pears if you can’t find figs.
Approximate quantities: 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced; 1 lb of fresh black figs, quartered; about 1/2 cup of maracona almonds, roughly chopped; about 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated; and about 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped drizzled with @ooliveoilandvinegar’s champagne vinegar, the juice of 2 lemons, olive oil, salt, and pepper
Approximate quantities: 4 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced; 2 d’anjou pears, thinly sliced; About a 1/2 cup maracona almonds, chopped and about 1/2 cup parmesan, shaved or grated dressed with the juice of 2 lemons, a sprinkling of a citrus white wine vinegar or I any simple, neutral vinegar, like apple cider, olive oil, salt and pepper
It’s also good with 1/4 cup or so of parsley, roughly chopped, but not necessary
It’s better if you can make it ahead and let it sit in the fridge—the fennel gets more tender, everything absorbs
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side
Approximate quantites: 1 head of Green leaf lettuce, roughly chopped; 6–8 ounces, sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut lengthwise; 1/2 pint of heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered; 4 small Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments; grilled green and wax beans; grilled red onions, roughly chopped; about 1/4 of a loaf of slightly stale fig-fennel bread, cubed, tossed with olive oil and salt, and crisped in a sauté pan, or grilled
Serves two as a main, four as a starter or side.
This is a mash up of Amanda Hesser’s kids’ favorite Zuni's Pasta with Preserved Tuna and Martha Stewart’s recent Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Chickpeas; it’s basically a late summer kitchen sink pasta salad with tuna.
2 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 Kirby cucumbers, cut lengthwise into thin spears, then into 1-inch segments
1 fennel bulb, sliced into then crescents
2 TBS red wine vinegar
12 ounces — 1 can— of olive oil packed tuna
2 TBS capers
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
2 TBS of chopped parsley
8 ounces of radiatore, gemelli or fusilli pasta
Pecorino Romano cheese
First, chop tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and set aside and allow them to weep — I do this on the side of my cutting board, or in an empty prep bowl, or since you’ll be draining pasta you can also toss them in the colander
Second, chop cucumbers, fennel bulb, and pepper, place in serving bowl and drizzle with red wine vinegar and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt
Third, cook the pasta and saute the tuna: Bring salted water to a boil to cook your pasta per the instruction and while you are waiting for the water to come to a boil, add the garlic cloves, capers, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and the entire can of tuna, including the olive oil to a non-stick skillet or cast iron
When the water begins to boil, add your pasta and turn the heat under the skillet to medium-low and saute the tuna the amount of time that the pasta needs to cook — my pasta needed 9 minutes anywhere in this range will work
Fourth, combine everything: Add the pasta, tuna, and drained tomatoes to the serving bowl and toss
Garnish with Pecorino Romano cheese, 1 tablespoon of parsley, and the juice of 1 lemon
Probably should serve four, but we were hungry and so it only served two.
Inspired by a small plate that I ate at June almost two years ago: Baby kale, fennel, brown figs, Parmesan, parsley, and marcona almonds drizzled with olive oil, yuzu vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Approximate quantities: 2-3 loosely packed cups of baby kale; 2 fennel bulbs, sliced into thin crescents -- a spiralizer or mandoline works well here; 8 fresh brown figs, quartered vertically, or cut into 8ths if they are very large; 1/4 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped; 1/3 cup marcona almonds, roughly chopped; 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shaved; drizzled with olive oil, yuzu vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
Serves two as a main.