This easy recipe offers a delicious, nutritious contrast.

Ingredients

1 iceberg lettuce or 4 baby gem lettuces 1 fennel bulb 2 apples, sliced 1 small cucumber, sliced 2 cups chunky toasted ciabatta croutons 100g cremezola cheese ⅓ cup buttermilk 2T Italian white-wine vinegar 1T honey

Method

Slice the iceberg lettuce into quarters (or halves if you are using baby gem lettuces). Slice the fennel bulb lengthways into five millimetre-thick pieces. Char the lettuce and fennel over a high heat on a Weber braai or using a grill pan. Place the apple and cucumber slices on a large platter with the charred lettuce, fennel and croutons. Blend the cheese, buttermilk, vinegar and honey to form a dressing and serve it drizzled over the salad. SERVES 2–4   Recipes and styling Brita du Plessis Photographs Sean Calitz This recipe originally appeared in HL August 2015.   READ MORE: Chicken and cashew curry Fresh zucchini salad Beetroot and orange salad