24 November 2011

Thanksgiving and Fennel Parmesan Salad


Thanksgiving, like many holidays, is a mixed bag of emotions. Every year my huge extended family gets together in New York to celebrate and marvel at how much the little ones have grown and how many new little ones are under foot and who the heck do they all belong to anyway?? As children, this was one of the best moments of the year. Ok, we were dressed to the nines, but when the parents were busy talking, my sisters and cousins and I slipped off those two-tight new dress shoes and ran up the back stairs in stocking feet to play. Or else, we snuck into the coat room, with all its long black coats and fancy fur coats, and slipped pieces of paper, candy or other found treasures into the pockets.


In France, there's no such holiday, no time off, and so I miss all the hullabaloo of a the big family get-together. Of course, there are upsides: I don't have to worry about what to wear, or be polite to people who's faces are vaguely familiar (they look like me?) but whose names I can't for the life of me remember, and no one asks me who my grandfather is and spends twenty minutes trying to figure out how we're related.

But I also really miss my family. Now that we've grown up and are all in different places, it's hard to get to see everyone and Thanksgiving is usually when everyone manages to come together. I miss hearing the latest cousin gossip, the smell of New York at this time of year, the Broadway shows, the lights as the holiday season starts, the shop windows, and the upper class Jewish ladies in pearls.


However, even with that nostalgia, I have to admit I'm pretty lucky because here in Paris I get to have Thanksgiving with the extremely talented Camille. The food is much better than it ever was in my childhood, and I get to cook some of it! There's definitely something very Thanksgiving-y about spending the day cooking up yummy things to eat in the evening in very good company!

Of course, the traditional turkey and mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pecan pie and all that will be on the table. But it's nice to have some vegetables and I'd been meaning to test this Fennel Parmesan Salad for quite some time. I never know what to do with fennel from my CSA, but after a taste-run of this recipe, I won't hesitate to make this absolutely delicious salad again. A perfect flavor combination! It comes from the wonderful blog 30 Minute Dinner Party, which you should definitely check out if you don't already read it!


2 bulbs fennel
100g (about 3/4 cup) fresh Parmesan, shaved into thin slices
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lime
sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Cut the leaves off the fennel and wash well. Peel off the leaves and slice thinly. (When you get down to the core, the leaves won't peel well but just slice the core into thin slices as well.) Put in a salad bowl with the Parmesan. In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, vinegar, lime, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the salad and serve!

10 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Happy Thanksgiving!

That is a lovely combination.

Cheers,

Rosa

Julie said...

Happy Thanksgiving!

The salad looks delicious and beautiful.

Katharine said...

Great reminiscing! Wait, you slipped stuff in the coat pockets? Haha. Guess what? The young "prince" has (almost) grown up and applied early decision to college! Your sister met a cousin she didn't know she had and they talked excitedly about vegetarian cooking and politics. Each couldn't believe they'd been to the same Thanksgiving all their lives and never talked or even met before. I'm not sure 20 minutes would be long enough to figure out how they're related...

Your Thanksgiving dinner and the salad sound mmmm-yummy. Not so bad being in Paris :) But we did miss you and D over here. Love, Mom

Ivy said...

Hope you had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner. Sorry for not visiting your blog lately but after reading my post I guess you know why. The fennel salad is something I have never made and I think it must be delicious and definitely will try soon.

Olivier SC said...

J'espère que la fête a été bonne pour toi, amie ! Ce menu semble formidable !

Gina Kleinworth said...

That looks fabulous! Now I am hungry!

So happy you found me through Dine and Dish- please to "meet" you!

Anonymous said...

It was a delicious salad, and the rest of the meal, too! So glad we get to spend Turkey day together every year!

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Nicole Gamble said...

So simple and so perfect!

Agrigirl said...

Hi Hopie,
Long time no see. We had some fennel on hand and I remembered this post. It turned out fantastic and was enjoyed by all. Hope to see you back blogging again.