Fennel & Apple Salad with Warm Pancetta Dressing
A super versatile recipe, quickly wilt bitter greens like frisee, escarole or radicchio or just use fresh tender lettuce! The fat, salt, and acid of this recipe does wonders to cut the crispness of the apples and fennel, while balancing the bitter greens perfectly.
INGREDIENTS
Vinaigrette
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Salad
3 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and sliced thin
1 cup walnuts, chopped coarse
Lettuce greens or bitter greens (*see note below)
Salt and pepper
1 apple, cored, halved, and sliced thin
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled (2 oz)
Directions:
* Note on the greens: The volume measurement of the greens may vary depending on the variety or combination used. You want about 12 ounces total. If using bitter greens that you plan to wilt, that’s about 10-12 cups. If using fresh greens, you can go significantly lighter, say, 3-4 little gem lettuce heads, 1-2 regular lettuce heads, or a bag of arugula.
For the vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients in bowl until emulsified.
For the salad: Cook pancetta in large Dutch oven over medium heat until browned and fat is rendered, 7 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add fennel and walnuts to fat left in pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fennel is crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
If wilting greens: Add half of vinaigrette to pot, then add half of greens and toss for 1 minute to warm and wilt. Add remaining greens followed by remaining vinaigrette and continue to toss until greens are evenly coated and warmed through, about 2 minutes longer.
If not wilting greens: Toss greens gently with vinaigrette until coated evenly.Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer greens to serving platter, top with apple, sprinkle with blue cheese and pancetta, and serve.
Recipe Source: Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated