Arugula Fennel Apple Salad with Chives

What does a food blogger do when they are gifted with a box full of fresh local produce?    Most likely they’ll do a happy dance which is exactly what I did when I got to take home a box of excess goods from my new company last week.  Out of the box I pulled leafy greens, pears, apples, cheese, milk, sausage, bread, cookies, green garlic and fresh herbs along with simple recipes for the contents of the box.

Brooklyn Salt was originally supposed to feature recipes made with local, seasonal produce.  Instead, I let my cravings lead the way.  I decide what I want to make and then I go shopping for the ingredients whether or not they’re local or in season.  But this weekend, starting with ingredients rather than a recipe forced me to use my imagination and taste things I’ve never tasted before like lemon thyme, Landaff cheese and rye cookies.  This week’s recipe has nothing to do with my box of local goods, but I believe you can find apples, arugula, fennel and chives at your farmer’s market right now.  This is one of my favorite salads because of the sweetness of the apples and the mild onion flavor of the chives. 

RECIPE

Makes 1-2 entree servings or 3-4 side salads

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, or more to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
2 large handfuls arugula
6 chives, chopped finely
1 loosely packed cup very thinly sliced fennel (use a mandolin slicer if you have one)
1/2 sweet apple, sliced very thinly right before assembling the salad (use a mandolin slicer if you have one)

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper

2.  In a large mixing bowl, toss together the arugula, chives, fennel and apple.

3.  Whisk the dressing as you pour it over the salad.  Toss well and serve immediately.

You might also like: Orzo Spinach and Feta Salad, Fennel and Arugula Salad with Pan Seared Chicken Sausage, Roasted Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Apple Fennel Slaw, Fresh Peach Salsa