Autumn celery salad From Venice by Russel Norman.

This very simple dish is from another of my Xmas presents. I have always loved the Polpo cookbook for the simplicity and originality of the recipes contained within it. It looks like this book from the brilliant Russel Norman is going to be just as good.
This recipe is a lovely clean and fresh salad that is perfect as a starter to a heavier main course.

Ingredients

A large handful of shelled walnuts

3 celery stalks with leaves if possible

2 fennel bulbs

1 Comice pear

Juice of 1 lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Flaky sea salt

Black pepper

100g Parmesan

Method

Pre heat oven to 180 scatter walnuts on a baking tray and roast for 6-8 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Remove the leaves from the celery and wash, dry and roughly chop. Peel the celery and slice at an angle.

Trim the fennel have, core and finely slice.Now the pear, halve core, and finely slice lengthways.

Carefully place the celery, fennel and pear in a large bowl. Add the walnuts, crushing them lightly with your fingers.

Evenly drizzle over the lemon juice and a good glug of olive oil, a decent pinch of salt flakes and ground pepper. Gently turn the salad over in the bowl and then transfer equally to four large plates.

Using a fine microplane or grater distribute a generous amount of Parmesan on to each serving with a scant splash of olive oil and a final flourish of black pepper.

Comments

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