Wild, Wild West.....

Apr 2

Apr 2 Wild, Wild West.....

One might not think that it would be the fennel salad that put me in a tizzy from Jackson Hole, Wyoming but it was. I had this salad three times in six days and if I’d stayed longer I probably would eat it again! We were given a list of restaurants and decided to just stay in Teton Village one night. Il Villagio Osteria is right in the heart of the village, part of the Terra Hotel. The service there was excellent and the food is beyond! We realized that this same restaurant were also the owners of Bin 22, Kitchen and a few more restaurants in town. We only had time to hit Bin 22 and that was excellent as well. This salad, though, was the stellar standout. I asked the server if she might share the recipe and she hand wrote it out for me!

My version - I added a bit more arugula and added sliced orange on top

To the best of my knowledge, here’s what to do

For the Salad:

1 - 2 cups of arugula

2 Fennel Bulbs, thinly sliced, either in a food processor or on a mandoline

Sliced Asian Pear - I used a cut up orange ( Cara Cara) - Just cut away the exterior of the orange, then slice.

Sprinkle with the honey orange almonds

Drizzle the dressing on

Cut up the fronds from the fennel or use fresh dill on the top

Mangia!

To make the dressing here is what she wrote out for me:

Orange juice, honey mustard, fresh shallots, white wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic

I used just one section from a shallot or you can use a small shallot. 1 garlic clove.

1/2 cups of orange juice

1/4 cup of grain mustard and about 2 tablespoons of honey

1/2 cup of white wine vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil

Kosher Salt & Freshly ground Pepper

Note: You should taste the dressing and adjust. I like my dressings to be tart and on the acidic side.

To make the Almonds:

1 cup of Roasted Almonds

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup of honey

Zest of an orange (I used the rind from the Cara Cara orange that I put in the salad)

Kosher Salt & Freshly ground Pepper

Lightly chop almonds or throw them in a food procesor and pulse until they are a small size - say 1/4 the size of each almond.

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add the honey and bring to a boil.

Add the almonds & orange zest, salt and pepper

Spread them in a thin level on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and let dry/ cool. When they are cool, break or cut them up into smaller piecs (like those in the picture).