The Waldorf salad was originally just celery and apple in mayonnaise, with walnuts added later.
In this version, crème fraîche and feta replace the mayo, fresh fennel and fennel seeds turns up the aniseed, and everything is sliced into a slaw. If your celery still has its pale leafy heart, or your fennel comes with its fronds, add them in. Keeps well for two days in the fridge.
Serves 4-6
3 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal (200g)
1 large fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced (200g)
1 Granny Smith apple, quartered, cored and thinly sliced (120g)
150g green grapes, halved
70g walnuts, roughly chopped
15g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
15g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tbsp caster sugar
90ml olive oil
3 limes: 1 tsp zest, 3 ½ tbsp juice
80g creme fraiche
150g feta cheese, sliced in half width ways, then broken into bite sized shards
Fine sea salt and black pepper
Add the celery, fennel, apple, grapes, walnuts, herbs, fennel seeds and sugar to a large bowl, along with 5 tablespoons of oil, the lime zest and 3 tablespoons of lime juice, ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Make a dressing by whisking together the creme fraiche, ½ teaspoon of salt, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the remaining ½ tablespoon of lime juice and 20ml water.
Arrange alternate layers of salad with shards of feta and spoonfuls of dressing on a large, lipped serving platter and serve.