Arugula Fennel and Orange Salad

Some days it feels like spring in Boston. Not the days where it snows 2 inches and you need to clean your car off. Again. More like the days that it is 50, but really windy, so it feels like Spring when you are standing in the sun and the wind takes a break. But then you are brought back to reality with the gust that comes around the intersection you just walked by.

I had a moment where I thought, hey, it is spring, when I was picking up salad ingredients for a friend's dinner party. He was making a rich bolognese sauce and I thought that something light and refreshing would pair nicely. I walked by some bright white fennel bulbs in the grocery store and said, "bingo."

I think that fennel and I are going to have a long and lasting relationship. The sweet crispness of thinly sliced fennel bursts into your mouth along side the peppery and assertive arugula. Paired with fresh orange segments, toasted walnuts and a light mustardy dressing it is a future classic.

Ingredients:
5 to 6 oz. freshly washed baby arugula
1 medium fennel bulb, frawns removed, cored and sliced very thin
2 oranges, peel cut away, and then segments cut out of the membrane, juice the remaining orange in a separate bowl, cut the segments in half
3/4 cup lightly chopped walnuts, toasted

Dressing:
2 tsp Dijon mustard
reserved orange juice
1/4 cup or more olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions. Toss arugula, fennel, orange segments and walnuts together in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the mustard and orange juice. Slowly pour the olive oil in, whisking constantly. Taste and season with salt and pepper. As with all dressings, you can always add more of anything as you go. Perhaps start with less mustard if you don't make an on the fly dressing that often and add to your taste.

Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to coat.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!