Shaved Fennel “Caesar”, Croutons & Pecorino

For the salad:

2 fennel bulbs (or 3 if they are on the smaller side), cut in half and shaved on a mandolin, place in ice water to keep crisp)

prepared Caesar dressing (recipe below)

pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated on a microplane

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the croutons:

focaccia or Italian bread

olive oil, for tossing

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Make the croutons:

Preheat your oven to 375˚F. Rip the focaccia or Italian bread into small pieces. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Transfer to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool.

Prepare the salad:

Drain the water from the fennel bulbs and pat dry. Transfer fennel to a large bowl and dress with as much of the Caesar dressing as desired. You can also grate a little cheese into the mix. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, if desired.

Transfer the dressed salad to a plate and top with the croutons and a generous amount of grated cheese.

For the Caesar dressing:

8 anchovy filet, salt packed

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon salt

2 egg yolks

juice from 1 - 1 ½ lemons

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, more as needed

1 ½ cups parmesan cheese, grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Remove the anchovy filets from the salt, remove any extra salt sticking to the anchovies. Combine the red wine vinegar, anchovy, garlic and salt in a bowl. Use a whisk to crush the anchovies into the bowls and form a paste. Whisk in the egg yolks, then the juice from one lemon. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Taste the dressing and add more lemon and olive oil, if desired. Stir in the parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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