Pickled Apple & Fennel Salad with Soppressata & Hazelnuts
This salad promises to captivate your palate, with the introduction of pickled apples to leave you with a remarkable blend of tanginess and sweetness. Introduce these pickled apples to a charcuterie platter or with your favourite stewed dishes.Ingredients
Serves 4
½ cup (125 ml) skinned hazelnuts
2 tbsp (30 ml) maple syrup
1 pinch salt
8 slices hot soppressata
1 large fennel bulb with fronds
3 cups (750 ml) baby arugula
Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette, make ahead, recipe follows
Pickled Apples, make ahead, recipe follows
4 oz (110 g) feta, crumbled
CREAMY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 ml) Dijon mustard
2 tbsp (30 ml) white wine vinegar
2 tbsp (30 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tbsp (30 ml) liquid clover honey
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
PICKLED APPLES
1 cup (250 ml) water
½ cup (125 ml) apple cider vinegar
½ cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
1-in (2.5 cm) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced
½ tsp (2.5 ml) kosher salt
1 clove
1 star anise pod
2 Pink Lady apples, cored, quartered lengthwise
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C).
- While oven preheats, place hazelnuts in a small frying pan and toast over medium heat, tossing often until warm, about 3 minutes. Drizzle maple syrup over hazelnuts and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula until syrup has thickened and coated hazelnuts, about 1 minute. Remove frying pan from heat and season hazelnuts with a pinch of salt before transferring to a parchment-lined plate to cool to room temperature.
- Place soppressata in a single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until crispy, about 7 to 10 minutes. Break into large pieces, set aside and let cool to room temperature.
- When ready to assemble salad, separate stalks and fronds from fennel bulb. Reserve fronds. Chop stalks very thinly and add to a large serving bowl. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, very thinly slice fennel into long strips and add to bowl along with chopped fennel stalks. Add baby arugula, drizzle arugula and fennel with about 3 tbsp (45 ml) dressing and toss to lightly coat. Sprinkle with drained Pickled Apples, hazelnuts, soppressata pieces and feta. Drizzle or serve with more dressing alongside, if desired. Enjoy.
- CREAMY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
- Whisk minced garlic, Dijon mustard, vinegars, honey, olive oil and a good pinch each salt and pepper in a medium bowl until emulsified. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Makes about ¾ cup (180 ml)
- PICKLED APPLES
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together water, vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Simmer without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add ginger, salt, clove and star anise.
- Quarter apple pieces and arrange in a clean 4 cup (1 L) lidded glass jar or heatproof airtight container. Pour hot pickling liquid over apples. If needed, place a folded piece of parchment paper on top to keep apples submerged in pickling liquid. Let pickling mixture cool completely at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- Makes about 4 cups (1 L)