Pear & Fennel Panzanella
Say that 5 times fast!
What’s Been on My Plate
Last week was not particularly “fun” in my world. Perhaps you felt a similar way. Not all weeks are supposed to be joyous and easy, I might suppose. I’ve been holding calm moments close, admiring late afternoon light, and reading, writing, and revising words on words. This is November.
I finished reading C Pam Zhang’s novel, Land of Milk and Honey, which was quite an excellent read. While some of her word choice felt pretentious at times, I found the core questions raised throughout the novel to be unique and important. When paired with the descriptions, cooking, and characters, it all made for an interesting journey. I’ve been reading a lot of poetry, too, of course. Collected works by Louise Glück, Philip Levine, W. S. Merwin, Wallace Stevens, and others have been in the mix. Short stories, too! Mainly by Raymond Carver.
Off topic, but I feel like the “frosted” pink lip look is making a return this winter, which is excellent because I bought an icey cold-toned pink lipstick over the summer in Seattle for my mom and myself. We are ready to rock!
Also, I got some new glasses last week and STILL feel like I’m looking at the world with a funhouse mirror sometimes. Let’s all cross our fingers that my brain adjusts soon.
What Will Be On Your Plate
Pear and Fennel Panzanella Salad
Crunchy, bright, sweet, and satisfying— this salad is the perfect side dish to balance out a pork chop or roast chicken, so add it to your arsenal, as we are in the season of roast chicken and seared chops!
Each ingredient has a valuable place in our salad— the bread soaks up the dressing, the fennel is zippy, the pear adds plump sweetness to each bite, the pecans add depth, and the goat cheese melts into each bite, mellowing out the sharp dressing.
While this is by no means a traditional Italian panzanella, we use broken up, toasted, and stale bread as a friendly vessel, similar to the base of a typical panzanella. Plus, fennel and pears are in season and I find that, in this context, they work well with the toasty bread— texture and flavor-wise.
For those who aren’t familiar with fennel: Fennel is mainly represented as a roasted vegetable, yet anyone who has cooked with fennel and slipped a sneaky bite knows it is delightful raw. There are some licorice-esque notes its aftertaste, it offers a lively-crunch, and it is rather bright and refreshing. Similar to celery, perhaps a bit more refined. If you’ve never had fennel, I suggest you give it a go with this…
Pear and Fennel Panzanella
For 3-4 as a side
1-2 pears, sliced in thin Julienne strips (Julienne!! My French twin)
1 large or 2 small bulbs of fennel, shaved horizontally, sliced very thin
2 pieces of rustic bread, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of goat cheese crumbles
1/4 cup of toasted pecans
1 teaspoon of thyme
For the dressing:
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1 tb honey
pinch of salt and nutmeg
several cracks of black pepper
Set the oven to 450.
Slice your bread into even cubes and toss in olive oil. Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, until the bread is toasty and golden but not overly crisp or brown.
While the bread bakes, slice the pear and fennel bulb. Whip out a mandolin if you’d so like, but a knife will do.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a large bowl until combined. Add more oil, salt, vinegar, or honey to taste.
Add all salad ingredients to the bowl with the dressing, mix until everything is fully coated in the dressing.
Serve and enjoy! Pairs well with chicken, fish, or a pork chop.