Fennel with Oranges and Pomegranates

I am experiencing a bit of writer's block. I wanted to write something nice and flowery about this salad, but my mind is drawing a blank. Instead I am going to ramble a bit about how much I love Mario Batali. When I first started watching Molto Mario back in college I didn't know much about the flame haired man with the funny shoes (pre-Crocs) who claimed he was Italian. But then I started really paying attention to the show and what he was actually saying. I learned a lot about food and cooking from him and the random guests he used to have on his show. Does anyone else remember Jake Gyllenhaal sitting at that bench? Well I recently came across this recipe and knew I just had to make it soon. I loved the combination of the citrus flavors with the anise-y fennel and sweet and tart pomegranate seeds. For me the crunch is always a big factor in salads and this is good. Really good. I wish Raul had found blood oranges, but I don't think they are quite ready yet. Also, I used shaved Parmesan instead of pecorino which at first seemed like a weird addition, but it really worked well with this. This is a great fall/winter salad!

Grammy nominations came out yesterday. Guess which favorite artist of mine scored four noms? You go girl!

Fennel with Oranges, Parmesan, and Pomegranates
(Adapted from Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home by Mario Batali)

Makes 2 servings

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, and several fennel fronds set aside
Juice of 1/2 a large lemon
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
A hunk of Parmesan for shaving

Slice the fennel into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Place in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the orange segments, pomegranate seeds, and fennel fronds and gently toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the fennel salad on plates. Shave the Parmesan over each plate and serve.