My Pops and Arugula, Radicchio and Fennel Salad
Arugula and Fennel Winter Salad I can't eat an Italian inspired salad without thinking of my dad. Salads were a part of every dinner growing up. They were simple and served after the main course and not before as is customary in the North American culture. In the summer months, when our garden was in full bloom, we had our pick of endive, radicchio, romaine, escarole and leaf lettuce. My dad loved his garden. He would wake up early and put on his gardening hat and out he went. He would spend all day in the garden. It was his happy place and his refuge when life got tough. He did his best thinking out there. It is where you went if you needed to talk to him because in his garden he was at peace. He had buckets set up all amongst his vegetables so he could sit down and lovingly pick off pesty bugs, prune and water. He would watch them grow. He knew when there were beans missing (because we were known to sneak in and eat right off the vines) and he knew exactly which plant need