Fennel

[FusionChefGeoff]

Recently discovered a love of fennel in tomato based sauces after eating a meal at a friend's house but I'm clueless how to actually get it in there.

For example, today I've just thrown a sausage / tomato / bean / veg pot on the go and thought - ooh fennel - but I've got seeds - do I need to toast / grind then add them?? Is it too late - should they have gone in at the sweating the veg stage?

Any tips would be very gratefully received.

Nah, not too late, chuck 'em in! A little goes a long way though 🙂

Ooh - great - I'll put 1/2 tsp of the seeds in now then (it's a pretty big pot - 3 tins of toms, 6 sausages, loads of veg) and see what happens.

Have you tried using fresh fennel? That would be nice in your sausage dish so perhaps try adding some next time you make it

There's fennel seeds in Jamie Oliver's Jools Pregnant Pasta

*there are

That is now on next week's plan! Thanks Cait

Grind your fennel seeds first.

Use a few ground seeds, add fresh fennel sliced and fried in olive oil and garlic- add a tin of good quality tomatoes, simmer till the fennel is soft and serve with pasta- yummy. You can add salami cubes if you want to add meat to the dish.

Use a few ground seeds, add fresh fennel sliced and fried in olive oil and garlic- add a tin of good quality tomatoes, simmer till the fennel is soft and serve with pasta- yummy. You can add salami cubes if you want to add meat to the dish

Or add sliced yellow peppers and prawns or chickpeas. Yum.

Jamie Oliver's sea bass with fennel seed coating is my current favourite meal.

Cait's suggestion of JO pasta is a good one - my lot love it.

JO has a recipe for trout layered with fresh fennel- not tomatoey, but lovely.
www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tastyfishbake_73312

If you are making something with a short cooking time such as pasta sauce, about half an hour beforehand soak your fennel seeds in a small amount of hot water (a little in a small cup for example) then tip seeds and water into sauce. This is a tip from Georgio Locatelli that I now use.

If the dish has a longer cooking time, such as sausage casserole, you can just add the seeds as normal, don't toast them.

Look out for salami flavoured with fennel, absolutely delicious!