Braised Fennel
….This side dish was made with fennel as the main ingredient. Fennel has a fresh, aromatic anise flavor, and it can be eaten raw, sautéed, roasted, or even added to soups and sauces. If you’ve never worked with it before, this funky-looking vegetable might be intimidating from the outside, but don’t let it scare you. Once you know how to approach it, it’s easy to work with. Above the bulb, at the tip of the stalks, it has light, feathery leaves that resemble dill. Every part of it is edible, from the bulb to the flowers, and it can be eaten raw or cooked. This dish caramelizes as it cooks, taking on a sweeter flavor and tender, melt-in-your mouth texture. Usually I use the bulk for cooking, but don’t toss those tops. Finely mince the fronds to use as an aromatic garnish. Fennel and Borlotti beans are a great combination for a perfect side dish or main dish as well. It tastes so delicious. Fennel has a special scent raw, so some peoples don’t like the scent. It is helpful if you sauté them at a high temperature to reduce the scent. This recipe is from @cheftomwalton. Thank you so much!!
Servings: 3–4
Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 medium head fennel, trimmed, tops reserved, cut into wedges
- 1/4 cup olive oil + extra to drizzle
- sea salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 3 garlic clove, chopped roughly
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 bottle Borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
- 2–4 peperoncino(or 1/2 tsp chili flakes)
- 1 lemon juice(2–3 tbsp lemon juice)
Cooking Instructions:
- Place the fennel onto a tray and sprinkle sea salt and black pepper into the fennel.
2. Heat a pan with medium high heat and add the olive oil into the pan.
3. Put the fennel into the pan and grill them until it begins to look a light brown color for 3–4 minutes. Flip the fennel onto the other side and cook until light brown.
4. Scatter the garlic over the fennel and gently shake the pan to let the garlic fall through. Add the white wine into the pan and boil enough for alcohol to fly away for 3 minutes.
5. Heat down to medium low heat to simmer the fennel for 12 minutes with a lid(topping up with a little water if needed).
6. After 12 minutes, remove the lid. Add the bean, peperoncino(or chili flakes) and lemon juice onto the pan to mix them gently. Add some sea salt, if it is too bland.
7. Turn off the heat and add the reserved fennel tops into the pan. Drizzle some olive oil onto the top.
8. Serve it as a side dish or main dish.
You can also view this recipe on instagram.
