RECIPE

© Melanie Acevedo

Bow-Tie Salad with Fennel, Prosciutto, and Parmesan

• Recipe by Quick From Scratch Pasta

A tangy lemon dressing makes this main-course salad especially refreshing, and the only thing you have to cook is the pasta. If you find a fennel bulb with the dark-green feathery tops still on, chop some of them and toss into the pasta.

• Fast

Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound bow ties
2. 1 large fennel bulb (about 1 pound), sliced as thin as possible
3. 1/4 cup olive oil
4. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
7. 1/4 pound thin-sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
8. 1/4-pound chunk Parmesan cheese, or 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the bow ties until just done, about 15 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the bow ties, fennel, oil, lemon juice, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the prosciutto and toss again.
3. To serve, mound the salad on plates. Top with strips of Parmesan shaved from the chunk of cheese with a vegetable peeler or with the grated Parmesan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper over the cheese.

Notes

Test-Kitchen Tip

The easiest way to slice fennel is to cut off the stalks, cut the bulb in half from the top through the root end, lay each half flat-side down, and slice. For that matter, this is a good technique for almost any round fruit or vegetable.