Best Mean Chefs Shaved Fennel Mushroom And Parmesan Salad Recipes

SHAVED FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place bread on one side of a rimmed baking sheet and walnuts on the other side (they cook at different rates). Drizzle bread with 3 Tbsp. oil; season with salt. Toss, squeezing bread with your hands to help it absorb as much oil as possible, until evenly coated. Bake until walnuts are golden brown and croutons are deeply browned and very crisp, 8-10 minutes for walnuts, 12-15 minutes for croutons. Let cool, then coarsely chop walnuts.
• Meanwhile, combine vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Let sit 10 minutes to let garlic mellow and flavor the vinegar.
• Whisk 3 Tbsp. oil into vinegar mixture, then add croutons and chopped walnuts. Season crouton mixture with some salt and toss to coat and let croutons soften slightly; set aside.
• Remove stalks and fronds from fennel bulbs. Remove fronds from stalks and coarsely chop; thinly slice stalks. Place in a large bowl. Cut fennel bulbs in half and thinly slice on a mandoline (if you have one; if not, practice your knife skills). Add to same bowl along with mint. Zest lemon half over salad, then squeeze in juice. Season with salt and toss to combine.
• Divide reserved crouton mixture among plates and top with half of the Parmesan. Arrange fennel salad over; top with remaining Parmesan and drizzle with oil.

SHAVED FENNEL, MUSHROOM AND PARMESAN SALAD

Steps:

• Use a fork to whisk the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the mushrooms very thin. Put them in a serving bowl and toss with about 2 teaspoons of the olive oil mixture.
• Chop enough of the fennel fronds to make about 2 tablespoons (reserve the rest for another use). Trim the tops and bottoms from the fennel bulbs and halve the bulbs; slice off most of the core (leaving on a bit helps keep the bulb intact). Using the mandoline, shave the fennel bulbs almost paper thin from the root to the top end right over the mushrooms. Add the fennel fronds and the lemon zest; season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
• Shave the Parmesan over the salad using a vegetable peeler. Drizzle the remaining olive oil mixture around the edge of the bowl and toss everything gently but well to combine.

FENNEL AND MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• Put the shallot and vinegar in a ramekin, and set aside to macerate.
• Cut the fingers off the fennel bulb, and discard, and then peel the bulb. Slice the bulb very thinly into rings. Toss with the mushroom slices, and parsley leaves. Dress the mixture with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, to taste. Serve with Parmesan curls on top.

SHAVED FENNEL AND PARMESAN SALAD

Steps:

• In a salad bowl, combine the lemon juice with the salt and pepper and whisk in the olive oil.
• Using a sharp knife or the slicing attachment on a food processor, slice the fennel bulbs wafer-thin, cutting from the base to the tip to make fanlike slices. Place the fennel in the lemon vinaigrette and toss.
• Tear the radicchio leaves into bite-size pieces and toss with the fennel. Divide between 4 salad plates. Then, using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan cheese into thin sheets, sprinkle on each plate and serve.

PARMESAN SALAD WITH FENNEL AND MUSHROOM

Steps:

• Trim the leaves and most of the stems from the fennel. Slice the bulbs very thin and put in a salad bowl.
• Rinse and dry the mushrooms and slice thin. Add to the salad bowl. Add the cheese and season with pepper.
• Beat the vinegar and oil together until well blended, pour over the salad and toss gently. Serve as a first course.

MEAN CHEF'S FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Pour oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to reach halfway up the sides of the pan.
• Heat to 325 degrees F, use a deep fry thermometer to determine this.
• While the oil is heating, peel the potatoes and push through a French fry cutter to form uniform sticks.
• As you go, place the cut potatoes in a bowl of ice water to release some of the starch and to keep them from browning.
• Dry the potato strips thoroughly, this will keep the oil from splattering.
• Fry the potatoes in batches so the pan isn't crowded and the oil temperature does not plummet.
• Cook for 3 minutes until they are soft but not browned.
• Remove the potatoes with a long-handled metal strainer and drain on brown paper bags.
• Bring oil temperature up to 375 degrees F.
• Return the par-fried potatoes to the oil in batches and cook a second time for 4 minutes until golden and crispy.
• Drain on fresh brown paper bags then place in a serving bowl lined with paper towels.
• Salt and serve immediately.

SHAVED FENNEL AND WILD MUSHROOM SALAD

Steps:

• Combine the lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. (Preferably, this salad should be prepared right before serving.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Using a mandoline or a sharp, thin-bladed knife, slice the fennel as thin as possible. Place in a bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the lemon and olive oil mixture.
• Scatter the fennel loosely over part of a serving platter. Using the mandoline or knife, slice the mushrooms in thin, almost transparent cross sections. Strew the mushrooms over the fennel pieces. Using a potato peeler or knife blade, make shavings of Parmesan. Scatter them over the mushrooms. Drizzle the remaining lemon and oil over the layers. Grind additional pepper over the top. Serve on a platter, leaving room for the vegetable salads below.