A vegetable with an atypical taste, more shunned than adored, fennel can nevertheless surprise us with the variety of recipes it can be used in. Cooked, raw, roasted, braised, dried, used in broth: the possibilities are endless! In summer, at Le Mont St Michel, we like to cook it raw, very thinly sliced and marinated for a long time, before joining a sweet and fresh salad, with yellow peach bursting with sunshine and a beautiful burrata for the greediness. On your mandolins!
Ingredients for 4 plates
1 medium-sized fennel bulb
1 lemon and a half
olive oil
1 tablespoon of honey
3 yellow peaches
1 burrata cheese
4 slices of bread
fleur de sel, pepper
Preparation
1. Remove the outer layer of the fennel bulb and its stalks. Very rich in fiber and more difficult to digest, it is advisable to reserve these parts to cook them (for example roasted in a pan) or to make a broth or an herbal tea. Keep the tops of the bulb for the dressing of the plates.
2. Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, slice the fennel bulb thinly, then rinse and drain the slices.
3. In a salad bowl, mix the raw fennel slices with the juice of one lemon, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch of fleur de sel and a few turns of ground pepper. Cover with a plate and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or ideally overnight.
4. Wash the peaches and keep the skin if they are not processed and if the skin is not too thick. Cut 1 peach into quarters, sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.
5. Cut the other 2 peaches into quarters and heat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of honey. Brown the quarters for a few minutes. Set aside.
6. Cut the bread slices into small pieces. In the same pan, add a small amount of olive oil and place the bread pieces in the pan. Fry for a few minutes until crisp and golden.
7. Make a small vinaigrette for the final touch by emulsifying 1 tablespoon of honey, 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a little fleur de sel and pepper.
8. Take the fennel out of the fridge and arrange it on the plates. Place a bed of fennel on each plate, followed by the raw and cooked peach quarters, croutons and finish with generous pieces of burrata. Decorate with a few fennel tops. Finish the seasoning by pouring a little vinaigrette on the whole.
Enjoy your meal!