fennel, cucumber, citrus, tomato-less caprese salad

Here is a quick and easy salad recipe that will feed 6 hungry mouths.  Hungry for fresh from the farm food.

We had dinner with friends Sunday night and when the hostess asked we bring a salad I dove into my B & H Organic Produce CSA box.   There was cucumber, fennel, carrots and lettuce…the tomatoes were used for salsa and a tomato pie the night before.   I’m saving the lettuce for wraps and carrots for roasting.  You can find fennel either in your garden or locally like right now and that’s how you should enjoy it, in season.

This dish reminds me of a similar salad we enjoyed on our recent holiday in the Virgin Islands.  (I like to say “holiday” it makes vacation feel even more special…let’s get real, it’s not like it happens often enough.) Dan did not recall this dish so maybe I dreamed it all up?

fennel, cucumber, citrus, tomato-less caprese salad

6 servings

• 2 cucumbers, sliced in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 fennel bulb, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 orange, zested and segmented
• 8 ounces buffalo mozzarella, sliced
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, roasted or raw
• 1 1/2 tablespoon CA Olive Ranch Arbequina extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon, lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
• 1 teaspoon Hempzels Horseradish, Hemp & Honey Mustard
• pinch of salt and twist of freshly ground pepper

Combine the sliced cucumber and fennel in a bowl.  When segmenting the orange do it over a bowl with the sliced cucumber and fennel.  Squeeze the juice from the unused “core” of the orange onto the vegetables.  You don’t want to waste a drop of the orange juice.  Combine the cucumber, fennel, orange segments and the juice from segmenting and place in the fridge as you prepare the dressing and slice the cheese.

You can also dice some of the fennel fronts to mix into the salad, I did.

In a lidded jar combine the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, orange marmalade, mustard, salt and pepper and shake it!

Before arranging the salad, the cucumbers will release liquid as they rest, pour a bit of the excess liquid off.   Arrange the mozzarella and salad on a plate and top with dressing and pine nuts.

ENJOY! This is how we did with friends who shared their table, photos, wine and stories from her recent trip to Africa.