This un-recipe embodies the sweet and spicy of Taggiasca olives in a salad bowl. Fennel, oranges, and olives are a classic combination for a good reason: their flavors perfectly complement each other. The multicolored Taggiasca olives are especially delicious in this preparation thanks to their deep, tangy, briny, almost spicy flavor. Benza’s Taggiasca extra virgin olive oil, instead, is subtly sweet with minimal bitterness and spiciness, the perfect match for delicate, anise-like notes in fresh, crunchy fennel. A bit of acidity from the oranges and an umami touch of Vacche Rosse cheese shards and you’re in for the winter salad of your dreams.
Ingredients
TIME: 10 minutes prep, plus 30 minutes resting
SERVES: 4
- Fennel bulbs, 2 medium
- Oranges, 2 medium
- Taggiasca olives, a handful
- Taggiasca extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- Vacche Rosse cheese, 15-20g, shaved into shards
Preparation
- Wash the fennel bulbs, remove the long stalks, pick out a few fronds and set them aside for later use. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise, remove the cores, then slice as thin as you can across the grain. Put the fennel slices in to a large mixing bowl.
- Next, supreme the oranges. Cut off their tops and bottoms, stand them on one end, and slice off the rind and white pith, keeping the orange flesh as intact as possible. Holding the naked orange over the bowl of fennel, carefully slice each orange segment into the bowl. When you’ve removed all the segments, squeeze the remaining flesh over the fennel to extract the juice.
- Drain your desired amount of Taggiasca olives and stir them into the fennels and oranges. Drizzle with the Taggiasca extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the salad marinate for 30 minutes or so, stirring every so often to allow all the fennel to spend time in the orangey juices.
- When you’re ready to serve, use a slotted spoon to transfer the salad to a serving dish. Top with the Vacche Rosse cheese shards and the reserved fennel fronds. Drizzle with as much of the dressing remaining in the mixing bowl as you like and enjoy!
