SHAVED FENNEL AND WHITE BEAN SALAD
4 servings
If you do not like fennel, you can also make this salad with celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal, or puntarelle, if you can find it. Cannellini and Great Northern beans work well here, but large corona or gigante beans are even better. This is good served with canned, oil-packed tuna or sardines, as a side for grilled tuna steaks, or topped with Grilled Marinated Octopus.
Have ready:
- 1 ½ to 2 cups cooked white beans, or one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed
Trim the stalks and fronds from:
- 1 medium fennel bulb (8 to 10 ounces)
Very thinly slice the bulb crosswise (almost paper thin) with a mandoline, or sharp knife. Heat in a small skillet over medium-low heat:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
When the oil is warm, add:
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- (2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or sage)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
Allow the garlic to sizzle for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and leave the oil to infuse for a few minutes. Combine the beans, fennel, and infused oil in a bowl with:
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or fennel fronds
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Serve at room temperature or chilled. If desired, shave on top:
- (¼ cup Parmesan or Romano)