This fast, healthy salad is perfect for a quick meal. The sweet, crunchy pea shoots are a great pairing with peppery arugula. I haven’t been a fennel fan until recently, and now I love it in a variety of salads. Hazelnuts also lend a unique flavor to this salad, so don’t be scared off by that extra step of toasting and peeling them! I promise, it’s so easy. With a mouthful of this, my husband mumbles, “honey, you make really good salads”. That’s it – the seal of approval! Good enough for me to make it again, and recommend it to you. 🙂
Arugula & Pea Shoot Salad with Radishes, Hazelnuts and Fennel, serves 6 adapted from Food & Wine
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 1/2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon minced shallot
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 ounces baby arugula
3 1/2 ounces pea shoots
4 large radishes, trimmed and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
1 fennel bulb—halved lengthwise, cored and very thinly sliced on a mandoline
Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate and toast until they are fragrant and the skins blister, about 14 minutes. Transfer the toasted hazelnuts to a kitchen towel and let cool slightly, then vigorously rub the nuts together to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts.
In a large bowl, whisk the Champagne vinegar with the Dijon mustard, honey and minced shallot. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and whisk until blended. Season the vinaigrette with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the arugula, pea shoots, radishes, fennel and chopped hazelnuts and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve right away.
