SALAD
1 head radicchio
½ celeriac/celery root
1 bulb fennel
2 crisp eating apples
1tbsp fennel seeds
50g/scant ⅓ cup hazelnuts
DRESSING
1tsp cider vinegar
1tsp hot English mustard
1tbsp rapeseed/canola oil
Salt and black pepper
Make sure you leave this salad for when you have a little time – shaving or thinly slicing the vegetables does slow things down. That said, there’s barely any cooking involved, so it’s not going to compete with anything in the oven or on the hob. This is good alongside roast pork or lamb, or as something sharp and crisp beside a pie or stew.
Serves 8
1. Peel apart the radicchio leaves, give them a rinse and slice finely. Peel the celeriac with a knife, and then cut into thin strips with a vegetable peeler, or mandoline. Slice the base and fronds off the fennel, then cut lengthways into thin slices. Slice your apples through the core, into thin rounds. Remove the pips. If you’re serving the salad immediately, don’t worry too much about anything browning. However, if you’re taking mandoline slicing slowly (which I’d very much recommend), drop the slices into a bowl of icy water. Drain everything and pat dry with paper towels before dressing.
2. To make the dressing, whisk together the cider vinegar and mustard, then slowly whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the salad ingredients, and toss together.
3. Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan over a moderate heat. Once fragrant, tip them into a mortar and pestle and bash them around a bit. In the same pan, toast the hazelnuts, then chop roughly.
4. Top the salad with the fennel seeds, hazelnuts, and pale green fennel fronds from the bulb.