Insalata di Finocchi

Fennel Salad

fennel
1/4 pound diced Parmigiano-Reggiano®
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt

Combine all the ingredients, toss well and serve.

Serves 4-6

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INSALATA DI FINOCCHI IN CESTINI DI FORMAGGIO BRA
Fennel Salad in Bra Cheese Baskets

For the cheese baskets:
 3 oz. aged Bra cheese
 3 oz. fresh Bra cheese
 a dab of butter

For the salad:
2 medium sized fennels
10 chopped walnut kernels
1/4 lb. Bra cheese

The baskets: Using the larger holes in a cheese grater, grate the two cheeses, mix them together and then separate into 4 equal amounts. Line a cookie tray with buttered wax paper. Place the 4 parts of cheese on the paper and press them into circles about 6-7 inches wide. Bake for a few minutes until golden brown in a preheated oven at 400°F.

Remove the discs from the oven, liftimg them from the paper with a steel spatula, and place them into 4 small bowls. Shape the discs gently with your fingers against the sides before they cool, in order to achieve an attractive shape.

The salad: Clean the two fennels by removing the hard outer layer and rinse well. Cut them into very fine slices and place them in a salad bowl. Mix in the chopped walnuts and the thinly sliced Bra cheese.

Make a dressing by whisking together the extra virgin olive oil, the apple cider vinegar and the salt, then toss it with the fennel.

Gently lift the cheese baskets from the cups, placing them onto serving plates. Fill them with the salad and serve immediately, so that the dressing won’t ruin the shape of the baskets.

Serves 4

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INSALATA DI FINOCCHI, RUCOLA E PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA®

Prosciutto di Parma® Fennel and Arugola Salad

2 medium sized fennel bulbs
2 bunches arugola
8 slices Prosciutto di Parma®
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 - 8 large green olives preserved in brine

Clean the fennel, removing the tough bottom part and the first outer layer. Use a mandolin or truffle slicer to cut the fennel into very thin slices. Soak the fennel slices in a bowl of cold water for 1/2 hour. Clean and wash the arugola.

Arrange two slices of Prosciutto di Parma® on each plate, covering half the dish. Distribute the arugola on the other half of the plate. Drain and pat dry the fennel and make a small mound of it on each plate over the arugola.

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the salad as a dressing. Garnish with one or two large green olives.

Serves 4

Courtesy of Giuliano Bugialli