Fennel-Arugula Salad

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this before on this blog, but one of my all-time favorite flavors is anise. Black jelly beans and black licorice are sublime. I know many of you will think I'm crazy, but anise flavor pops up a lot in nature. There's aniseed, star anise, fennel, fennel seed and Thai basil, all with anise overtones.

I've been wanting to try fennel for some time now, but didn't really know how to use it. That's where this salad comes in. I found this recipe in the doctor's office. They have a special health channel playing in the waiting area, and Ellie Krieger came on and showed how to make this salad.

Raw fennel is amazing - it has the crunch of celery but the flavor of anise. I might have to start including it with raw veggie platters. This salad is simple but interesting - now I can have licorice for dinner (well, sort of).

Fennel-Arugula Salad
from Ellie Krieger

1 medium bulb fennel, thinly sliced into half-moons
5 cups arugula (5 ounces)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toss the fennel and arugula together in a large salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, orange juice, vinegar, shallot, orange zest, salt, and pepper. Add to the fennel and arugula and toss to coat.