{"id":1604,"date":"2006-10-17T05:56:00","date_gmt":"2006-10-17T05:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elitemporaryblog.wordpress.com\/2006\/10\/17\/special-game-fennel-salad"},"modified":"2015-09-24T03:54:01","modified_gmt":"2015-09-24T03:54:01","slug":"special-game-fennel-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orangette.net\/2006\/10\/special-game-fennel-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"Special game, fennel salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every now and then, Brandon and I like to play a special game. It has no real name, but if I were to give it one, it might be called the \u201cYour Partner Has No Past\u201d game. It goes like this: whenever one of us mentions a previous boyfriend or girlfriend, the other feigns deafness, dumbness, or outright incomprehension. For example:<\/p>\n

Molly: \u201cOooh! I love this song! Turn it up! [Ex-boyfriend<\/em>] put it on a mix tape for me when we first met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brandon: \u201cWhat? Who did? You mean I <\/em>did? I did, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not so much that we dislike knowing about each other\u2019s previous significant others \u2014 because in fact, I take a sort of perverse interest in the topic. No, it\u2019s just that it\u2019s so fun<\/em> to pretend that your partner came out of the ether, fully and perfectly formed<\/strong>. You know \u2014 the way that Athena<\/a> sprung from Zeus\u2019s head<\/a>? It makes us both look terribly talented and precocious, like minor geniuses in the romance department. To wit:<\/p>\n

Brandon: \u201cOh baby, you\u2019re such a good kisser. It\u2019s really amazing, since I was your first kiss and everything. Riiiiight<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Molly: \u201cOf course! [Wink, wink<\/em>.] And you<\/em>, mon cheri, are so good at hugging! It\u2019s really amazing how good you are, especially since I\u2019m the first person you\u2019ve ever hugged. Riiiiight<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n

As you can see, our game is really quite fun. You should try it \u2014 so long as both players are in on the plan, of course. Otherwise, it could get messy.<\/p>\n

But all that said \u2014 sex, lies, and special games \u2014 I have to admit that I am actually quite grateful for Brandon\u2019s ex-girlfriends, and one of them in particular<\/strong>. Without Gillian\u2019s wise tutelage, he would be, he tells me, \u201ca terrible hippie.\u201d He would also douse all edibles with inedible \u2014 for most people \u2014 amounts of vinegar. And he might never have done any homework, or made it through college. Clearly, I owe the woman quite a lot. But more than anything else, I owe her \u2014 or, technically, her parents \u2014 a big one for teaching Brandon about shaved fennel salads.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

Apparently, Gillian\u2019s parents once owned a CD-ROM of Julia Child\u2019s series Cooking with Master Chefs<\/em><\/a>. In one of the episodes, Alice Waters, Patron Saint of All Things Fresh, teaches Julia how to make a shaved fennel, mushroom, and Parmesan salad. Gillian\u2019s parents were quite taken with the idea, and it quickly became a regular in their repertoire. Brandon tasted it for the first time in their home, and now, one breakup and a few years later, it is a regular in ours. To Gillian\u2019s parents, I say: things may not have turned out as you imagined, but inadvertently, you sure did a good thing for me and my man. Thank you.<\/p>\n

This salad is a wonderful cool-weather standby: crisp, fragrant, a little cheer for the jaw<\/strong>. Now that the soft, baby lettuces of summer are gone, it\u2019s time for fall\u2019s sweet fennel and earthy mushrooms. Shaved paper-thin and layered on a platter, drizzled with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, this is what salad looks like when it wears its winter whites<\/strong> \u2014 or, rather, pale greens and browns. Finished with curls of sweet, fruity Parmigiano Reggiano, it makes a lovely Sunday lunch for two, with a hunk of baguette, a pat of butter, and a piece of fruit for dessert. If you\u2019re anything like us, it might even inspire a special game \u2014 something involving forks, stealth, and the last bite of salad.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Shaved Fennel Salad with Mushrooms and Parmesan<\/strong>
Adapted from Alice Waters and Julia Child<\/p>\n

Part of what makes this salad feel special is its elegant, layered presentation. But if you\u2019re short on time \u2014 or just don\u2019t feel like fussing \u2014 you can certainly toss it in a bowl like any other salad. As for variations, you can try adding a dash of truffle oil for some sophistication and snazz, or, if you\u2019re feeling frisky, try replacing the mushrooms with paper-thin slices of Asian pear. We thought of that a couple of days ago, when we shared an Asian pear after big plates of this salad. The mingling of flavors was fantastic. Needless to say, it\u2019s next on our list.<\/p>\n

1 medium fennel bulb, about 10-12 ounces
5 or 6 small mushrooms, preferably crimini or white button
Good-quality olive oil
A lemon
Sea salt, such as Maldon<\/a>
A hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Freshly ground black pepper<\/p>\n

First, prepare the fennel. If it still has its feathery fronds, cut them off at the base of their stalks, and discard them. Rinse the bulb under cool water, and dry it thoroughly. Using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, trim away any bruises or brown spots on the very outermost \u201cskin\u201d of the fennel. Cut the bulb in half from root to stalk, and trim the root end. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the fennel as thinly you possibly can.<\/p>\n

Now, prepare the mushrooms. Wipe away any dirt on their surface with a damp paper towel, and trim off and discard the stem end. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice the mushrooms very thinly.<\/p>\n

Assemble the salad in layers on a large platter or, if you prefer, on individual plates. First, make a layer of fennel slices. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Then place a layer of mushrooms on top of the fennel. Drizzle lightly with lemon juice, and season with salt. Using a vegetable peeler, cut thin shavings of the cheese, and arrange them on top of the mushrooms. Add another layer of fennel, followed by a light drizzle of oil, and then another layer of mushrooms, lemon juice, salt, and cheese. Repeat until you run out of fennel and mushrooms; you might have two layers of each, or you might have more; it doesn\u2019t much matter. Finish the salad with a good drizzle of lemon juice and a hearty splash of oil, and garnish with a few shavings of cheese. Serve immediately, with salt and pepper to taste.<\/p>\n

Yield: 2 quite generous servings, or 4 side servings <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every now and then, Brandon and I like to play a special game. It has no real name, but if I were to give it one, it might be called the \u201cYour Partner Has No Past\u201d game. It goes like this: whenever one of us mentions a previous boyfriend or girlfriend, the other feigns deafness, dumbness, or outright incomprehension. For example: Molly: \u201cOooh! I love this song! Turn it up! [Ex-boyfriend] put it on a mix tape for me when we first met.\u201d Brandon: \u201cWhat? Who did? You mean I did? I did, right?\u201d It\u2019s not so much that we dislike knowing about each other\u2019s previous significant others \u2014 because in fact, I take a sort of perverse interest in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSpecial game, fennel salad | Orangette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/orangette.net\/2006\/10\/special-game-fennel-salad\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Special game, fennel salad | Orangette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every now and then, Brandon and I like to play a special game. It has no real name, but if I were to give it one, it might be called the \u201cYour Partner Has No Past\u201d game. It goes like this: whenever one of us mentions a previous boyfriend or girlfriend, the other feigns deafness, dumbness, or outright incomprehension. For example: Molly: \u201cOooh! I love this song! Turn it up! [Ex-boyfriend] put it on a mix tape for me when we first met.\u201d Brandon: \u201cWhat? Who did? You mean I did? 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