This delicious salad was created based on an existing recipe but with some serious twists. It requires a mandoline or slicer. The mandoline is crucial to get the apple, fennel and kohlrabi sliced perfectly and evenly. You can be creative and add spiralized carrots for color. You can also use a celery root or celeriac instead of the fennel.
Kohlrabi is a crunchy and fresh type of cabbage, high in water. It really is a nice combination with fennel as it has a rather neutral taste. the fennel has this liquorish flavor that will give the extra zing to this salad.
Caraway are very small black seeds and look a little bit like cumin. They have a pungent, anise-like flavor and aroma that comes from essential oils, mostly carvone and limonene. Caraway seeds are used as a spice in breads, especially rye bread or in some cakes.
For 4 servings you will need:
– 2 medium kohlrabi, peeled and thinly sliced on the mandoline (the slices must be almost transparent)
– 1 green apple, also thinly sliced on the mandoline (I keep the skin). Take the core out first. Cut the slices in half
– 1 fennel bulb. Get rid of the outer layer. Thinly slice it on the mandoline. If the bulb is large, cut the slices in half
– 2 to 3 small heads of salad, if it is frisee salad, or 6 to 8 cups of young arugula
– 1 finely chopped large onion
– a few sprigs of fresh chives, chopped
– For the vinaigrette: 1 tsp.caraway seeds, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 Tbsp. white vinegar, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, coarse salt and pepper to your taste
How to prepare:
– Mix the salad, fennel, kohlrabi and apple slices in a large bowl and add the chopped onion
– Toast the caraway seeds for a couple of minutes over medium heat in a pan to release the fragrance
– Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard and caraway seeds
– Mix the vinaigrette with the salad
Before serving, top the salad with the chives. Et voila!