While in Decatur at Paper Plane, I had a great accompaniment on my cheese plate, pickled fennel. I was so obsessed that I decided to make a batch of my own. Here’s a great starter recipe from Food52. I made a couple of changes as usual and took advantage of the preserved lemons sitting in my fridge:

1 Fennel bulb (stalks removed)

1 c apple cider vinegar

1/2 c water

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

a pinch of peppercorns

1 quarter of a preserved lemon

Then you pretty much follow Food52’s recipe. I waited 24hrs before sampling.

What to do with the stalks and fronds? The Kitchn already has the answer! I was inspired to craft up a salad:

Quinoa and Amaranth Salad with Fennel Fronds, Chickpeas, Egg, and Preserved Lemon

Salad:

2/3 c quinoa (cooked)

1/4 c amaranth (popped and then thrown in with quinoa while boiling)

1/4 c onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

2 eggs, hardboiled then chopped

1/2 c chickpeas (I used canned)

Dressing:

Equal parts vinegar and oil (I used apple cider viegar and olive oil, maybe 1/8 c of each)

1 clove garlic, minced

fennel fronds, as many or as little as you like

1/4 of a preserved lemon (rinsed well and then chopped)

1 T mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Cook quinoa and amaranth together. While that’s cooking, sautee onions with zucchini. Gather the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk until combined. Let the quinoa and amaranth cool a bit and then combine with the other ingredients. Pour the dressing over and allow to sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.