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Fennel and Mushroom Salad

If you have a mandoline to slice the mushrooms and fennel, this will go much faster, and you’ll get an elegant slice to boot. Careful work with a sharp knife also works just fine.

In a small bowl, whisk together:

3 Tblsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely minced

˝ to 1 Tblsp chopped FRESH tarragon

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, stir together until the salt is dissolved:

Ľ cup fresh lemon juice

Salt to taste

Add, and toss to combine:

8 oz. mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

˝ yellow onion, thinly sliced into slivers

(Put the mushrooms into the lemon juice while you slice the other vegetables—their ability to soak up this liquid makes them extra yummy.)

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Mix in:

˝ cup Parmesan cheese shavings (pecorino or romano work well too)

I use a potato peeler to make nice cheese shavings that approximate the shape and size of the vegetables. I mix most of them in to the salad and then sprinkle a few on the top after it’s all mixed up so that people (usually singers for whom I make this, who are sensitive to such things) know that there is cheese inside.

This recipe can be made the night before and refrigerated, with only a tiny bit of wilting, and tastes just fine either chilled or at room temperature.

This recipe doubles well. You’ll want to more than double the lemon juice, as this flavor is easily overwhelmed by the others. Let the quantity hereby be known as “some” more than ˝ cup.

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