Annie was coming over for dinner and I was looking for something
interesting to serve alongside this salmon and couscous thing I was
going to make. Broccoli? Feh. Sauteed spinach, perhaps with garlic?
No. I don't love wilted greens. Carrots? Sort of ordinary, don't you think? Asparagus? Maybe.
There are certain vegetables that can add instant elegance to any plate. Things like, asparagus, fingerling potatoes and fennel can elevate even the most basic grilled chicken breast to a dish worthy of company in a way that something like carrots never could. (Unless the carrots are baby, have part of the stems attached and are adorned with say, fluer del sol, and some sort of herb butter. But even then, it's the embellashments that bring the class to the common carrot)
I decided on fennel. Fennel is refined and unexpected. A quick search on Epicurious provided me with this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 fresh fennel bulbs, the stalks removed, and then each cut lengthwise into 6 wedges, fronds reserved (Since there were only two of us dining, I used 2 fennel bulbs, rather than 4)
1/3 cup chopped shallots
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 garlic cloves, minced
METHOD
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over high heat. Add half of fennel; sauté until deep golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Repeat with 2 more tablespoons oil and remaining fennel.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a medium bowl, add the lemon juice. Slowly whisk in 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the shallots, lemon zest, garlic and parsely.
Drizzle mixture over fennel. Cover dish with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until fennel is tender and shallots begin to brown, about 20 minutes longer. Makes 8 servings. (Or it would if you used 4 fennel bulbs.)
Like the cauliflower in my previous post, the carmelization really adds a depth of flavor to the fennel and the braising in the oven makes it nice and soft and mellows out the anis flavor while the lemon juice and zest gives the whole thing a fresh brightness.
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