Any suggestions on how to cook fennel as a side dish?!
Answers: Someone told me it's a great accompaniment for salmon, and I'm always up for trying something new. Should I roast it, saute it, cook it some other way? Tips are recipes are appreciated, thanks! (I’ve only ever used it before in soup)
A great way to cook fennel is to braise it.
Sautee some fennel that you sliced up with some onion and olive oil. Then cover it with some stock and white wine. Add some different herbs and spices, like thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook the fennel in that liquid until they become soft. They taste great, and it's super easy.
I'd bake it into a gratin, after sauteeing a bit. Just add some fennel to this, or sub it for the celery root.
Root Vegetable Gratin with Gruyère
Enriched with cream and Gruyère cheese, this hearty gratin is a delicious accompaniment to roast pork or chicken. A mandoline makes fast work of cutting the vegetables into thin, uniform slices.
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 lb. parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/8”
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8”
1 lb. celery root, peeled and sliced 1/8”
8 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded
1 Tbs. minced fresh thyme
3 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Preheat an oven to 400°F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg and heat just until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes.
Arrange a layer of parsnips, slightly overlapping, in the prepared dish. Arrange a layer of sweet potatoes on top, then a layer of celery root. Pour half of the cream mixture over the celery root, and sprinkle half of the cheese, thyme and parsley on top. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil and lightly press the gratin down with a spatula. Continue baking until the vegetables are tender and the top is golden brown, 15 to 30 minutes more. Let the gratin stand for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 12 to 15.
--Williams-Sonoma
Steamed Mussels with Fennel, Tomatoes, Ouzo, and Cream
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bulb fennel - trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, cubed
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup ouzo
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 pounds mussels, cleaned and debearded
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
salt to taste
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DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in shallots and garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in fennel and tomato, and continue cooking about 5 minutes.
Mix white wine, ouzo, and heavy cream into the saucepan, and bring to a boil. Gradually stir in mussels, 1/2 the basil, and salt.
Cover saucepan, and continue cooking about 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened. Garnish with remaining basil to serve.
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the root of the fennel is great served cold, julienned with lemon juice and salt. the fennel itself can be blanched and the sauteed with a little olive oil ans salt and pepper.
Fennel is a herb, and I have never heard of it as a side dish.
Sprinkle some onto your salmon, and cook it that way, or make up a dressing.
Edit.
I was talking about the leafs.
Forgot all about the bulbs, we don't get them here.
Salt, pepper, olive oil, fennel....into a saute pan until browned. Remove and sprinkle with grated parm cheese. (The real stuff. Not Kraft.)
Salt, pepper, olive oil and roast in the oven. It's yummy that way. It really brings out a nice sweetness.
I love using fennel in tomato based sauses, I also use it as a key ingredient in my blackening combination. That would be a great way to add it to the salmon. I have never eatten it as a side dish itself but as a flavor in one.
Grilled Fennel Salad:
4 small fennel bulbs, tops removed, sliced into 1-inch rings
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
1/2 cup pitted green Spanish olives
1/4 bunch fresh basil
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground coriander
put the fennel rings in a bowl and drizzle with a healthy dose of olive oil; add the juice of 1/2 of a lemon. Put the fennel on the free side of the grill and grill for 5 minutes per side
Put the grilled fennel in a bowl and add the remaining salad ingredients: the olives, basil, red pepper flakes, coriander, and remaining lemon juice. Drizzle with another dose of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and give the salad a good toss. This salad is best when the fennel is still warm