Apple Fennel Salad

The ants are back. Sigh.

I don’t know why they bother me so much, but they do. It’s really annoying. They haven’t found the pantry again yet, so that’s a plus. They did find the microwave above the stove which isn’t used so much for cooking as for a place to store things that aren’t in a well sealed container. They seem to be have found a new way in — one that I haven’t found yet. I will find it. I will stop them. I always win. Always.

The ants definitely signal the season’s change, much like the produce in the grocery store. All the gourds are out. There are more variety in apples than I can count. I’ve gone through at least two cans of pumpkin.

Fennel is fast becoming my vegetable of choice. I’m a sucker for that black licorice flavor and the fact that it’s crisp totally contradicts the soft black licorice my taste buds expect. The rest of this salad is damn near about as fall as you can get. Apples? Pistachios? Arugula? So nice. Every time I need something thinly sliced, I curse not having a mandolin. I’m convinced the risk of slicing my hand off is worth the evenly sliced fruits and vegetables. Now that I look back, I’m not really sure what apple I used. I think I just grabbed one. Whatever it was worked well with what this salad is trying to accomplish, which I’m pretty sure is just being delicious. What other job should a salad have really?

Ingredients

• 1 large apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 large fennel bulb, evenly sliced
• 2-4 handfuls of arugula, depending on your handful and love of arugula
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup diced dried apricots
• 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shaved or shredded

Preparation

Add the thinly sliced apples, fennel, arugula, and red onions to a large bowl. Toss until combined. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil and use your hands to make sure everything is coated. Add the apricots, pistachios and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. That arugula is going to get wilty otherwise.