Fennel. And lots of it. Help!

[Habbibu]

Just got veg box and there's fennel in it again. I dealt with the last one by putting it in the fridge and ignoring it, but may have to raise my game with this one. Any ideas?

Fennel is fab with tomatoes. For eg I do a realy nice braised puy lentils with fennel in a tomato and olive sauce.

Sounds lovely, Carm - do you have a recipe for that?

waitrose do a nice deli thing where it is caramelised. i have sort of recreated it at home by slicing, steaming it and then a little cook in a pan with balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. poncetastic but good low calorie nibble with wine.

It's gorgeous in carrot soup, too. Just make a standard veg soup and fry some chopped fennel at the start with the onions.

Also, I love it braised. It's a Nigel Slater thing (I think) where you put a huge amount of butter in a saucepan, add your fennel, quartered, cook on all sides for a bit then add stock/wine/water to come about halfway up and bake with a lid on or simmer gently on the stove top. Good with fish or grilled chicken.

It's also nice just plainly roasted in the oven.

Loving fishies and Hortons ideas too.

I just make a tomato sauce with chopped onion, garlic, and diced fennel (a slug of red wine and some balsamic and some oregano too) and then throw in the rinsed puy lentils and some black olives. Cover and bake in the oven for about 45 mins, stir once or twice.

Very thinly sliced, with celery and avocado, lemon juice and olive oil dressing, fab salad.

Or roast it, bit of olive oil, and I think my mum chucks a tiny bit of sugar over it too. Do it with red onion, peppers etc. V nice.

Oh, thank you, everybody - lovely ideas here. Am now think I don't have enough!

Um. I would prefer the title to read "Fennel. And lots of it. Hurrah!"

If you don't mind.

I do a fish stew which is-

Gently fry sliced fennel (1 bulb) & a sliced leek until softened

Add a can of tomatotes, zest + juice of an orange, tbsp tom puree, tsp thyme and teeny pinch cayenne pepper

Then chuck in some chopped haddock fillet (about 350-400g) and prawns (about 100g)

Cook until the fish is opaque. Serves 4

AND if you're on weightwatchers, this is only 2 points per serving!

Or perhaps 'Fennel. And lots of it. But never enough'?

"Fennel - Bring it On!"

(I thought for a moment this was a reference to a poster ...! - and thought, hang on, she's around a bit but not really very much, or enough, even, as she has interesting things to say ... Then I twigged.)

I got the most fantastic fennel thing off this very site (poster called MrsSchadenfreude, I think):

you slice the fennel very very thin & roast it at 200 degrees with olive oil, capers, a chopped chili pepper and some lemon zest - with foil over it at first till it goes melty, & then with the foil off so it caramelises a bit (takes about 30 min in all); and you serve it as a topping on spaghetti with parmesan and more olive oil.

It is divine - dh raves in a poncy way about the multiply varied sensations of delicate sournesses

ooh cross-post with THE REAL ONE
ooh

That sounds lush, Bink. I must try that.

Message withdrawn

fennel risotto with red chilli pepper also very nice!

We do a Jamie Oliver recipie for a pasta sauce with fennel and salami.

oh, you put lemon juice in as well, as well as the zest

You can arrive at my door in a box any time you like, lady.

Or is that too forward? I may be converted to fennel (the green sprouty thing) at this rate anyway.

that's more like it.