INGREDIENTS
- 2-ounce piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 1/4 cups thinly sliced fresh fennel
- 1/2 pound fresh Porcini mushrooms, stems removed and the mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or more to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Bunch of arugula, stems discarded, leaves washed and
spun dry - A few drops white truffle oil (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Shave the Parmigiano-Reggiano into paper-thin slices with a vegetable peeler and set aside.
Combine the fennel and mushrooms in a bowl. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the olive mixture over the mushroom mixture and combine well. Mix in the arugula leaves.
Arrange the mushroom mixture on four plates and top with the shaved leaves. Drizzle with truffle oil if desired.
TIPS
Here are the qualities that other raw mushrooms bring to this dish (mushrooms are listed in order of preference):
Oyster mushrooms: spongy and chewy, like a bowl of rustic pasta, a surprising amount of flavorPortobello: soft like porcini, but little flavorRegular cultivated (or bottom) mushrooms: a good crunchy chew, but devoid of flavorFresh shiitake: watery and tasteless
For the mushrooms lacking flavor, a drizzle of white truffle oil supplies all the flavor you could ever want. We like to leave it off the salad, however, when the mushrooms (like porcini) already have their own flavor.