Raw Courgette and Fennel Salad
I absolutely love raw courgette in salad. The dressing in this slightly pickles the courgette, making it tart and delicious. The fennel adds a bit of crunch and the cheese and prosciutto add salty bursts throughout the salad. Perfect for a hot evening with no cooking required.
Ingredients:
1 x courgette (I used a yellow one, straight from our garden
1 x fennel bulb
6 slices of prosciutto
100 g smoked cheese (I used apple wood)
1 x red chilli
Small bunch of basil
1 x lemon
2 x Tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 x Tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and Pepper
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 as dinner or 4 as a side salad
Instructions
Finely slice the bulb of fennel, use a mandolin if you have one. Scatter the slices on a large flat plate. Squeeze the lemon juice over the slices to stop them from going brown.
Using a vegetable peeler, peel strip of courgette and place the strips in a bowl. Keep peeling until you are down to the core, I usually discard this once it gets too difficult to peel.
Place 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of oil on the courgette ribbons. Finely slice the red chilli and add it to the courgette. Season with salt and pepper and give them a good mix with your hands.
Using the mandolin slice the cheese into thin slices. Place these on top of the fennel. Aim to have about 10-12 slice of cheese.
Tear each piece of prosciutto in half along the long length and roll them up to create little prosciutto rose buds. Place these on top of the fennel. Place then around the edge because we are going to pile the courgette on top in the middle.
Pick about 10 basil leaves and place them around in top of the fennel.
Pile the courgette in the middle of the plate.
Make a quick dressing by whisking 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar and 2 table spoons of oil together. Season with salt and pepper. Pore the dressing over the salad just before you serve.
Serve with a cold Sauvignon Blanc and some crusty sourdough bread.