Anyone else impulsively buy fennel and don’t know what to do with it?
I do that at least twice a year and always scramble to think of some way to use it all. I went on a picnic the other day and decided to whip up this salad as a way to use up the fennel. A few people asked me for the recipe, so here it is!
It’s a tasty and cozy salad that great for autumn, and can be served warm or cold. Takes about 20-40 mins to toss together.
For this, I used pearl barley because it cooks faster than hulled barley. I also recommend cooking it with bouillon (chicken or veggie would go best with this recipe) instead of salted water, if you have any handy!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup barley
1 large fennel, including bulb, stalks, and fronds, finely chopped. Set aside fronds for garnish
2-3 large carrots (5-6 medium), grated
1/2 bulb garlic, coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 Tbsp EVOO
1-2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
Rind of 2 lemon
Finely chopped red onion
2 tsp lemon thyme (or regular thyme)
1 tsp oregano or marjoram
Sesame seeds
S&P to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook barley, following instructions on package. While it is cooking, lightly sautee chopped fennel bulb and stalks on medium heat, until they soften. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Once barley is ready, mix together all ingredients. Garnish with fronds, lemon zest, sesame seeds, S&P (I also added bee pollen, edible flower petals, and Arctic thyme).
Enjoy!
PS: to see how this was served, check out my post below: