Fennel Citrus Salad with Toasted Amaretti

While I was staying in Levico Terme, Italy and spending time at Ristorante Boivin, the pastry chef, Fredrica, invited a few of us from the restaurant over for dinner. She served a salad inspired by something she once tasted in Sardinia, and I’ve recreated it several times with small twists, including a version with warmed chickpeas and stunning type of radicchio, Rosalba.

It was the use of the amaretti cookies that truly stopped me in my tracks. I had never seen them in a savory salad, and they add the most unexpected yet not overpowering sweet-crunchy note. I use Lazzaroni amaretti cookies, which you can find at most Italian markets and specialty markets, well-stocked grocery stores, and online retailers.

Here’s the basic idea:

• Finely shaved fennel, fronds reserved for garnish

• Segments of grapefruit and orange

• Lemon juice

• Olive oil

• Salt and lots of black pepper

• Amaretti cookies crumbled into a skillet over medium-low heat and stirred for about 5 minutes until the sugar releases and they turn a darker shade of brown

Simple, bright, and memorable.