Cucumber Pomegranate Salad

Cucumber Pomegranate Salad

by Good Housekeeping

This salad was served at my November Dinner Club.  It was a hit.  If you  are looking for a healthy, refreshing and crisp salad with a seasonal flair, you need to try it.  It's easy, wonderfully festive and looks absolutely beautiful.  This recipe is from Good Housekeeping.  Generally a winter salad when pomegranate is in season, you can also use this recipe in the summer and substitue blackberries or strawberries in place of the pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients

1 lemon, rind and juice, see directions

1/3 C extra virgin olive oil

3 T. Champagne vinegar

Salt

Pepper

2 fennel bulbs

1 seedless (English) cucumber

1 Granny Smith apple, halved, cored, and very thinly sliced

1/2 C fresh pomegranate seeds

Directions

Peel 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons lemon juice and add to a jar with tight fitting lid.  Add the following ingredients to the jar;  oil, vinegar, lemon peel, juice and salt and pepper to taste. Shake vigorously until blended. Dressing can be refrigerated up to 2 days.

Take the whole fennel bulb and fronds and remove about 2 tablespoons fennel fronds from fennel tops.  You will reserve this for garnish. Trim and core fennel and toss scraps.  Using a sharp knife, slice fennel very thin.  Add to a big salad bowl.  Using a vegetable peeler, take your cucumber and peel strips of cucumber skin lengthwise, then place on a cutting board and slice cucumber crosswise at an angle about 1/4 inch thick.  Add to salad bowl.  Slice apples into 1/4 inch dice and add to salad bowl. 

Shake dressing again and drizzle over top of salad.  Top with pomegranate seeds and fennel fronds. Sprinkle a little salt all over top and serve immediately.  If you need to take this salad somewhere, assemble ahead of time, but keep the dressing and the salt separate until ready to serve.  This salad is crisp and refreshing and best served cold.  Enjoy!