Recipe: Citrus Salad with Sweet Fennel (Insalata Di Arance e Finocchio)

CITRUS SALAD WITH SWEET FENNEL
(INSALATA DI ARANCE E FINOCCHIO)

5 juice oranges
1 large fennel bulb
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cut a slice from top and bottom of each orange to expose pulp and cut peel and pith from oranges, working from top to bottom. Cut oranges crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices and transfer to a bowl with any juice.

Trim off fennel stalks flush with bulb and halve bulb lengthwise. Remove most of core from bulb by making an inverted "v" shape, leaving enough core to keep layers intact. Thinly slice bulb lengthwise with a mandoline or other manual slicer.

Toss with oranges, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Let salad stand, stirring occasionally, until fennel is slightly wilted, about 20 minutes.

Drizzle with oil and serve.

Excerpted from The Best of Gourmet by Gourmet Magazine Editors
Copyright 2001 by Gourmet Magazine Editors. Excerpted by permission of Random House, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.