I can't remember.

As my husband, my immediate family and many of our friends will attest, I can remember the entire menu for meals I cooked decades ago. Neither my husband or I can remember when I first made his favorite salad - probably his favorite dish from my repertoire - for him.

Photograph by Jenny Lehman

When I sat down to write this post I asked if he had a good story about this fennel, celery and Parmesan salad. Was there a favorite menu or occasion when I had made it for him? "It's delicious," he said, and returned to his phone.

So I looked at my files. I definitely cooked this on May 12, 2012 in my first year of cooking demos at Eastern Market. I used fennel bulbs from Dan Donahue of Agora Farms. I made it again on May 21st for the American Lamb Board's Lamb Jam event. On June 5th of the same year I made it for my first in home teaching dinner event at Brindledorf, a community where my good friend Ali Mayhew was living at the time.

Then it showed up annually in my Eastern Market demonstration calendar. April 19, 2014 and April 4, 2015. At these early spring demos there would have been little other produce available yet. Ahead of the arrival of asparagus and strawberries the crisp, fresh flavor of this salad would have been a welcome taste of the season ahead.

And it still is. It also remains Jason's favorite recipe that I make, even if we can't remember when I first made it. As Jason said, "It's delicious," so go ahead and throw together a batch.

Fennel celery and Parmesan salad

Serves 4

Crisp and refreshing fennel bulb, bitter celery and rich, salty parmesan are brightened by a lemon juice vinaigrette and balanced with nutty, rich toasted pepitas. This is perfect with flaky white fish, poached chicken breasts or a slice of roast pork loin - perhaps crusted with fennel seed and a pinch of cardamom.

Photograph by Matt Hocking

Ingredients:

• 1 bulb fennel

• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced crosswise

• 1/2 cup coarsely grated Parmesan

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

• 1/3 cup lemon juice

• 2/3 cup olive oil - the good stuff

• 1/4 cup toasted pepitas, hull-less pumpkin seeds

Directions:

• Remove stems from fennel bulbs. Cut fennel bulbs in quarters lengthwise and remove the hard conical core at the base. Slice bulbs thinly crosswise. Toss fennel with celery and Parmesan in a large bowl.

• Make vinaigrette: sprinkle minced garlic with a couple pinches of coarse salt. Mash into a paste using the flat edge of a knife. Place in a small bowl with lemon juice. Season with black pepper and whisk to combine. Let rest 20 minutes for flavors to develop. Drizzle in oil in a thin stream, while whisking, to form a creamy emulsion.

• Toss salad with 1/3 cup dressing and sprinkle with toasted pepitas to serve.