Unlike some winters here, this year the weather has been very mild. It’s been so nice that I’ve been able to get out into the garden and do a little bit of clean up. This means cutting back all the old growth that took over the yard last summer, now that everything is brown and limp.
In the process, I was surprised to find a small fennel bulb behind a particularly large bush. It wasn’t very big, but it was fully formed, so I took it inside, gave it a good wash, and put together this salad. Using a mandolin gave me the paper-thin slices I wanted—I highly recommend it.
I used several different kinds of pears, because I wanted to see some color! It’s kind of needed right now, plus the pears have subtly different flavors. I had some burrata cheese waiting to be used, so I made the salad a bit more special by breaking it up over it.
I used a purchased dressing for this—a pear vinaigrette that I found a couple of months ago—perfection.
Pear and Fennel Salad with Burrata
Ingredients
- 2-3 ripe pears, any kind
- 3-4 cups fresh spring greens
- 1 small fennel bulb, washed and sliced very thin
- 1 ball burrata cheese
- ¼ cup walnuts
- Small handful of fennel fronds for garnish
- Dressing of choice
Place the greens on a large platter. Scatter the fennel across the greens.
Slice the pears in half, scoop out the seeds with a melon baller, and pull up the tough stem end. Place the pears on the flat cut side and slice into ¼-inch pieces, about 5-6 pieces, keeping them whole and together. Arrange them on top of the greens and fennel.
Crack open the burrata, break it into several pieces, and arrange it around the pears. Lastly, sprinkle the walnuts over the salad, and garnish with fennel fronds.
Serve with the dressing of your choice.
Serves 2-3.
