fennel Archives -

Pasta makes an appearance at our dinner table usually about once a week, mostly because it’s simple and also because my kids make me feel like a hero whenever I announce pasta for dinner. I still remember the time when I served pasta tossed with a plain old jar of store-bought marinara sauce and my son declared it “my best meal EVER”. (Oh why do I even bother sometimes?!)

This pasta, while not quite as easy as opening a jar, has minimal preparation and comes together quickly on busy weeknights . I used some homemade tomato sauce that I still had frozen from last summer’s tomatoes, but you could easily substitute any purchased canned or jarred tomato sauce. Ricotta and parmesan mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes and the seasonings from the chicken sausage help to further flavor the sauce. I like my pasta heavy with vegetables so there are two whole bunches of swiss chard along with a large fennel bulb, although in the end I probably could have used even more after the vegetables cooked down. It’s a simple dinner, I know, but delicious just the same and it’s these one-pot meals that get me through the week.

We finally got around to carving our pumpkins this past weekend. I am a firm believer in better late than never. After we carefully washed all of the seeds, we transferred them to the salad spinner to dry. My sweet 5-year old girl enthusiastically volunteered to do the spinning. She spun the spinner with all of her might and then, for whatever reason, she decided to take the lid off of the spinner while it was rapidly spinning and… pumpkin seeds went flying EVERYWHERE. Literally hundreds of seeds scattered over the entire kitchen and even into the connecting foyer. It was a sight to behold. I wanted to scream and make her pick up every one of those hundreds of seeds by herself, but instead I managed a heavy sigh and started helping her pick them up. My son offered to help as well and pretty soon all four of us were on our hands and knees picking up pumpkin seeds. Gotta love those unexpected family bonding experiences.

Even though pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are sold throughout the year, I especially like adding them to my salads in the fall. They add a hint of crunch and a bit of extra protein. This Fennel Celery Salad seemed perfect for the addition of pumpkin seeds. Together with the pomegranate, they add another layer of color and texture. My favorite salads are green salads, but sometimes I enjoy the simple beauty of a white salad such as this one. The lemon dressing mellows out the licorice flavor of the fennel and the results are a bright, crisp, and refreshing salad.

Fennel Celery Salad {with Pomegranate and Pumpkin Seeds}

Serves: 4 small side portions

Ingredients

1 large fennel bulb
2 stalks celery
3 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Trim the long stalks off of the fennel and save some of the thin leaves for garnish. Slice the fennel in half lengthwise and use a sharp knife to cut both halves into thin slices.
Thinly slice the celery on a diagonal.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the fennel, celery, and pumpkin seeds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Pour dressing over salad and toss together. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle pomegranate seeds and fennel leaves on top.

Notes

adapted from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food