Rocket, caramelised fennel & hazelnut salad with "camempear" bruschetta

With a long day of work behind you, it is always difficult to resist the temptation to just eat crap food in the evening - at least that's what happens to me. With an hour's commute and work hours far beyond the nine-to-five, my inner self often cries out for a ready meal dished up while I read a book (or, indeed, post recipes for more engaging and mouth-watering food).
At the same time, I want to eat healthy and maybe shed a few superfluous pounds I have gained in my last pregnancy - and to satisfying these two desires is easily achieved. Not planning ahead is an added difficulty, since gone eight o'clock in the evening it is not easy to locate certain ingredients like prime-quality fish - or even count on finding any particular ingredients at all, because the reality is that the food you've set your mind on will not be available anymore.
Last night, I actually made the effort of playing through different meal scenarios on the train and came up with a satisfactory, though not particularly calory-conscious food plan - fortunately, all ingredients were waiting for me on the supermarket shelves and I whipped up a relatively quick and healthy salad... even my husband, who isn't too fond of fennel, was happily tucking in!

Rocket, caramelised fennel & hazelnut salad with "camempear" bruschetta
(serves 4 as a main or 8 as a starter)

1 fennel bulb
2 tbsp olive oil
200 g rocket
2 level tbsp light brown muscovado sugar
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
100 g hazelnuts (skin on)

For the bruschette:
2 midi baguettes (ca. 20 cm long)
1 pear
1 camembert (250 g)
2 tbsp cranberry compote

For the salad dressing:
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp apple balsamic vinegar

Cut baguettes in half lengthways. Cut fennel bulbs in half through the stem and then into ca. 2 cm wedges. Fry it in the olive oil until starting to soften and lightly brown. Sprinkle over the muscovado sugar and leave to melt. Deglaze with the vinegar and continue to cook until it has evaporated. Reserve. Pour the hazelnuts into the same pan and dry-roast until starting to release their fragrance.
Cut the pears in half lenthways (stalk removed), core and slice into 2cm wedges. Slice the camembert (also 2 cm).
Prepare the salad. Mix the ingredients for the dressing thoroughly, then combine with the rocket in a bowl. Fold in the fennel and hazelnuts.
Top the baguettes with alternating layers of cheese and pears, then pop into the oven at 200C or under the grill until the cheese is starting to melt.
Garnish with some cranberry compote and serve with the salad.

Comments

[tanvi]

this is my kind of meal- fast, vegetarian and delicious! can i ask you, where did you get balsamic apple vinegar? that sounds absolutely amazing and i imagine substituting plain old balsamic wouldnt be quite the same.

[johanna]

well, apple balsamic vinegar is by no means a culinary rarity around here... our local sainsbury's (one of the UK's biggest supermarket chains) sells a 500 ml bottle for - ahem, really cheap. £ 1.99, I believe. And it is really gorgeous. But if you have a very fruity balsamico, this should do the trick as well!

[Susan]

May 2, 2005? I reading this on April 16, 2005!
LOL!

[johanna]

susan, not sure where you got the 2nd May from? must have been april fools!