Fanny Singer’s Ribbon Salad; Serves 4
For the dressing:
2 small shallots
1 to 2 unwaxed, preferably organic, lemons
1/8 to 1/4 cup high quality extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the salad:
1 head of fennel
1 to 2 large carrots, peeled
1 cucumber, halved length-wise
2 stalks of celery
1 apple (a crisp, firm-fleshed variety is best, such as Pink Lady), halved and cored
1 beet, peeled
10 basil leaves (or 5 Italian basil leaves and 5 Vietnamese sweet basil leaves)
What to do:
1. Start by dicing the shallots. Put them in a bowl and cover them with the juice of one lemon. Using a Microplane grater, zest about half of one lemon into the bowl with the shallots. Add a big pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper and leave to macerate while preparing the salad.
2. Use a mandoline vegetable slicer on a very fine setting to slice each vegetable (with the exception of the beet) lengthwise into a big bowl. The slices should be semi-translucent but not tissue-thin, as they’ll need to stand up to the salad dressing. Slicing lengthwise can be tricky; to avoid cutting yourself, start on a new vegetable when need be (having more than the quantities stated above can be useful). Slice the beet into a separate bowl, otherwise it will color the salad.
3. Whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice and shallots. Add the juice of the second lemon if necessary for acid balance. Make a chiffonade of the basil leaves by cutting them into fine shreds. Toss the ribbons in the dressing, reserving a tablespoon or two for the beets. Fold in the basil. Dress the beets with the remaining dressing.
4. Delicately heap the tangled ribbons onto each plate, adding a few beet slices to each and serve.
