Fennel is one of my winter go-to vegetables for salads, soups, pastas dishes, and risotto. It's crunchy and refreshing but also slightly sweet. Folks generally slice the stalks of this root vegetable and use them in a variety of ways, but more and more chefs and home cooks alike are starting to use the flowery fronds reminiscent as a garnish.
Once you start using fennel in the kitchen, you'll realize how versatile it is in many of your favorite dishes. It's little-bit-spicy licorice flavor brightens up even the most ho-hum salad greens and adds snap to citrus salads, chutneys, even desserts.
If you're not familiar with how to slice and chop fennel, here is a nice: Video tutorial
Now that we're all on the same page, let's try a few recipes! Here are five recipes covering every course, from soup to salad to main dishes and dessert. We hope there's enough inspiration here to get you grabbing for a bulb next time you're at the market.
• Shaved Fennel Salad - 101 Cookbooks
• Zucchini, Fennel, and White Bean Pasta - Eating Well
• Fennel and Sausage Risotto - Food and Wine
• Spiced Squash, Fennel, and Pear Soup - Eat Live Travel Write
• Fennel Panna Cotta with Grilled Strawberries - Washington Post
Related: Couscous with Chickpeas, Fennel, and Citrus
(Image: Fotopedia)
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Correct link:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fennel-and-sausage-risotto
I can't wait to visit my farmers market tomorrow morning to look for fresh fennel. I enjoy giving it a quick sauté followed by a medium braise in cast iron. The cooking method transforms chopped fennel into tender sweet petals of delicious complex flavor with just a hint of anise. I love serving it with roasted tomatoes over fresh pasta.
Cookbook author Ivy Manning has one in her Farm to Table cookbook that is shaved fennel (raw), white beans, tuna, 1 tbs lemon juice, 1 tbs apple cider vinegar and maybe EVOO mixed together w/fennel fronds and parsley-out of this world refreshing and simple.
What is the best way to cut fennel? I always feel like I end up wasting a bunch of it!
I completely love fennel, especially raw, and this lentil and fennel salad is one of my favorites:
http://nettleandquince.com/2011/04/28/lentil-and-fennel-salad-with-parsley/
I really don't mean to be snarky, but recipes like that last one are starting to get on my nerves.
I work pretty hard to stick to a mostly seasonal diet, so I get pretty excited by articles with titles like this one since I'm always on the look out for new ways to cook winter staple. It's a wee bit frustrating to find recipes like that panna cotta one (and to a lesser extent, the zucchini one) that require some completely out of season ingredient. The panna cotta one was particularly obnoxious with its long opening note about finding ripe wild berries. IN JANUARY?!?! Not in the Northern Hemisphere, my friends.
Deep-fried beer-battered fennel. My favorite!
Make your usual beer batter recipe.
Slice the fennel into strips that are about 1/4" wide
Heat up some oil or lard to 325
Dip the fennel slices in the batter, the drop into the oil one at a time (don't crowd the pan)
Cook until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove, drain on a rack, sprinkle with salt. Serve hot.