Fennel & Radish Salad

This is one of my favorite salads. I came across it a couple of years ago on Simply Recipes and it's been one of my most popular salads to date. If you've never had fennel, it's so fantastic with strong flavors of licorice. I added radishes to this recipe because they are one of my favorite vegetables and they add a great spiciness to this wonderful salad. Given that the fennel and radishes are so full of flavor, just a little lemon juice and olive oil are all that are necessary to dress this salad. Of course, in keeping with my, "everything tastes better with cheese" motto, thinly shaved parmesan cheese is the perfect accompaniment to this fabulous dish. While you may consider this salad to be delicate I can assure you that it can stand on it's own. I have served it amongst the heartiest of BBQ'd meats and quite honestly, it's a refreshing side that compliments even the most robust dishes.

RECIPE courtesy of Simply Recipes:
1 fennel bulb, shaved paper thin with a mandoline or meat slicer
6-8 large radishes, shaved (my addition)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp chopped flat-leafed parsley
2 Tbsp shaved Parmesan cheese

METHOD
Mix all ingredients together.
Serves 2-3