Rabbit Food: The Perfect Spring Salad | Fetch Magazine by Taigan

Take advantage of local farmers? markets and young spring greens in time to make a gorgeous Easter or Passover salad.

The salad recipe below is from one of our favorite recent cookbooks, Edible, A Celebration of Local Foods, but it?s only a template. This time of year you could toss in everything from real spring onions to blanched peas, baby asparagus tips, or haricots verts. In Edible, for example, there?s another arugula salad that pairs the peppery green with goat cheese, pecans, and the strawberries that are also in season.

Be creative, but keep it real?that?s the Edible mantra, and ours too. In a salad, after all, the quality of the ingredients matters more than in almost any other dish (which is why we recommend the Extra Virgin Olive Oil made for Blackberry Farm from Napa Valley Arbequina olives, or St . James Cheese Co.?s Georges Extra Virgin Olive Oil ?made in Kalamata, Greece).

Pictured above, greens look even more gorgeous when set off by the milky white finish of Astier de Villatte?s ceramic bowls and serving platters. Handmade in Paris, the pieces are surprisingly light, yet extremely durable, and the perfect warm weather tableware.

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Arugula and Fennel Salad

(From Edible, A Celebration of Local Foods, by Tracey Ryder and Carol Topalian)

Serves 6

4 cups (about 5 ounces) lightly packed arugula

2 small fennel bulbs (about 1? pounds)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (preferably Meyer), plus more, if needed

? teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, if needed

? pound Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large salad bowl, arrange the arugula. Cut the stalks off the fennel bulbs. Remove the fronds from the stalks and set aside. Cut each bulb in half lengthwise through the root. On a cutting board, place each half cut-side down, then cut in half lengthwise again. Cut each quarter into very thin slices crosswise and scatter the slices on top of the arugula. Cut the fennel stalks into thin slices and on the diagonal and scatter on top of the salad.

Sprinkle the oil, lemon juice, and salt over the vegetables and toss gently. The salad should taste light and slightly lemony. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Using a potato peeler or cheese slicer, cut ribbons of cheese and scatter them on top of the salad. Sprinkle with the pepper and top with the reserved fennel fronds. Serve immediately.

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