Lebanese-style crunchy fennel salad

This delicate salad features the wonderful taste of fresh fennel and roasted tomatoes. Fennel is one of those ingredients that folks shy away from because they either do not know what to do with it or have had a bad experience with it. I personally discovered it over the last 4-5 years and love it in every form, especially raw in salads. The aromatic liquorice flavour, think black vines or anise seeds, is subtle and beautiful, a flavour I enjoy a lot. This salad highlights that flavour, and combined with the heavily spiced caramelized tomatoes and creamy yoghurt, it is the perfect salad. I could eat a whole bowl of this and nothing else for lunch.

I have not cooked enough from this book, but I love the flavours and dishes every time I do. A book filled with wonderful recipes from Lebanon is a treat to have and cook from. The easy-to-follow recipes make me want to pick up this cookbook and make super delicious dinners every night. I highly recommend this cookbook for authentic flavours from the region.

For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here. 

Ingredients:

For the fennel salad:

1 large, or 2 small fennel bulbs, tough outer leaves removed, the pith removed and thinly sliced with a mandolin, or by hand

A few fennel fronds for garnish

2 tablespoons labneh or Greek yogurt

Jiuce of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon

1 generous tablespoon mint, minced + some for garnish

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and white pepper to taste

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

A drizzle of EVOO

For the za'atar roasted tomatoes:

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

2-3 tablespoons za'atar spice mix, commercial is fine

To make the salad, mix all the ingredients, except the toasted pine nuts, in a bowl until the yoghurt and herbs coat the fennel slices evenly. Taste and adjust salt, tartness, and mint according to your palate.

To make the roasted tomatoes, mix the tomato halves with the spices and oil and toss well to get them evenly coated. Place the tomatoes in a single layer cut side up, as much as possible, and bake at 350°F for about 20-25 minutes. They are done when the tomatoes are soft and gooey; they should show signs of caramelized ion on the edges. You do not want to overcook them till they disintegrate entirely.

To assemble the salad, add the fennel salad to the center of a bowl and the roasted tomatoes as a ring on the side of the bowl. Top with the toasted pine nuts and minced mint. Serve, and once the guests have overcome the wow factor, mix in the tomatoes.