Wouldn’t you know I’d sneak fennel into school vacation week?! Well, in my humble opinion, fennel is an underrated vegetable that deserves some love – or at least a few more ideas for cooking with it. And since fennel is a cool-weather, season-bridging vegetable, now is as good a time as any.
Sure, you can toss “shaved” or thinly sliced fennel into a salad. Fennel is crisp and that lovely anise-y flavor pairs perfectly with citrus, bitter greens, and creamy dressings. But I also love to cook with fennel, not only as an aromatic in soups and stews, but as a side dish on its own. With a technique I call “brown-braising,” the fennel caramelizes, softens, and takes on a complex sweet and earthy flavor. Both the texture and flavor are truly transformed.
To introduce you to the technique, I’m offering my recipe for Brown-Braised Fennel with Meyer Lemon Pan Sauce. Serve it with roast chicken or lamb, pair it with smashed potatoes, or add it to an antipasto plate and eat it at room temperature.
Here's a tip for this recipe: Before you even start cooking, tuck the fennel wedges into your 10-inch straight sided sauté pan to see how many will fit in one layer. To guarantee even cooking, you don't want to overload the pan.
In this recipe, I'm using Meyer lemon slices in the braise and Meyer lemon juice in the pan sauce. This is basically because I love Meyer lemons (a cross between lemons and Mandarin oranges) and because they happen to be available in groceries right now. But they can be expensive or elusive, so feel free to substitute with a mix of lemon and orange.
When I’m not brown-braising fennel, I’m using it as an aromatic or as a major player in soups. My favorite example just might be this Tomato-Ginger Bisque with Leeks and Fennel. Don’t forget to make a batch of rustic croutons to go with the bisque — or a Custom Grilled Cheese with Vineyard Bread.
You’ll definitely want to use fennel in this Harvest Minestrone.
And fennel is a natural in all kinds of stews, but especially those that feature fish and shellfish, like our Flexible Vineyard Seafood Soup-Stew.
Fennel is great with lamb, pork, and venison, too. Try using it in these Braised Lamb Shanks, Hunters' Style.
Don’t let me talk you out of fennel salads, either. To circle back to those, I have only one caveat: While you don’t necessarily need to shave the fennel bulb with a mandolin, you do want to slice raw fennel as thinly as possible. Thick slices will be tough to chew. You can also lightly “pickle” raw fennel slices with lemon, salt and a pinch of sugar to soften them a bit.
Try sliced raw fennel not just in side salads but in more substantial salads like Sarah Waldman’s Wild Rice Salad with Fennel, Dried Apricots, and Radicchio, or when summer comes, this Green and White Bean Herb Salad with Fennel, Lemon, and Corn.
Okay, now that we’re all set with fennel, I’ll leave you with a couple of easy and fun desserts to make with the kids this week: Make Ahead S’mores Squares and One-Bowl Vanilla Cupcakes with Milk Chocolate Frosting.
Have a great week and we’ll see you on Instagram @cookthevineyard. Be sure to follow us if you haven't already.
P.S. Don't throw your fennel stalks away! Freeze them and use them when you make Rich Vegetable Broth or any vegetable stock.
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And hey, if you're interested in learning more about fermentation, check out this weekend's class at The FARM Institute: Fermentation 101: Sauerkraut, Saturday, Mar. 4, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
