Fennel Relish or Fennel Salsa

So how are my blog readers?!  I have noted that some of my regular blog reads and favourite bloggers have been quiet.  I hope your all well and perhaps like me energy for blogging is waning, especially after a long day at work that all you want to do is crash out when you get home; or concentrate on other things that matter more, and that is cool.  I have been doing the same too.

I haven't been that experimental in the kitchen either, relying on recipes in my repertoire for evening meals. Saying that I did make  some flapjacks for work colleague for Vegetarian Week in the UK, they were popular; and also some Wild Nettle Hummus.  The nettle came from the garden plot. Today I am sharing  Fennel Relish that I made a few weeks back.  

 

This was actually meant to be Fennel Salsa for snacking on in the evenings, but we never got round to snacking on it with pitta chips, crackers or crisps.  I did not want to waste it, so during the working week, I ended up stirring it into come cooked pasta with the addition of slice black olives and taking it into work for lunch.  It made for a nice change. 

Also I know it does not look very green here, but I am still going to share this fennel relish with Eat Your Greens challenge that I co-host with The Veg Hog.  

Please do share with us your vegan or vegetarian green recipe as there is still time to join in. 

Fennel Relish
Ingredients
1 medium fennel
1 fresh red chilli, minced
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tablespoon extra virgin oil
Salt to taste
Method
Remove the outer layers and discard any discoloured part of the bulb
Cut out the core of the fennel
Thinly slice the fennel, with a mandolin if you have one
Put all the ingredients into a small pot including oil and salt.
Gently bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and allow to cool, before transferring to a dish.
Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Apple, Fennel, Grape and Poppy Seed Salad

The Easter long weekend was a relatively chilled one.  On Good Friday, we stayed at home. It was wet.  On Saturday we went to Abergavenny . It was drizzly. And yesterday we were in the allotment garden plot.  I did a little bit of digging and weeding, but mostly I helped D replace the numerous smashed glass panes in the greenhouse, so that it can be used for growing seedlings again, though we both know that we are again, a month or so behind many other allotment-holders and vegetable growers.  

Whilst out in the allotment garden plot we saw an amazing sight.  Two herons flying directly above us.   Herons do indeed look like birds from a prehistoric time. For a few moments, they sat on a tree, then they flew off making as much noise as they arrived . We have seen some amazing birds since moving here, but to see herons flying above us, now that was Amazing. 

Today, its Monday - a Bank Holiday in the UK and yes, of course it is raining hard outside. 
Early on in the week, I made some Jamaican Jerk Spiced Scotch eggs, but today I share a Apple, Fennel, Grape and Poppy Seed Salad. 

In my attempt to eat more salads, and this is a way I can also get more fruit into D's diet too.  It was lovely. Crunch from the apple, celery and fennel. Nuttiness from the almonds. Saltiness from the feta cheese offset the sweetness of the apple and a burst of juice from the red grapes. It was different from a green salad often made with a variety of green lettuce leafs.

The only problem I had with this salad, the poppy and mustard seeds getting stuck between my teeth.  So remember to floss. 

I am sharing this  Apple, Fennel and Poppy Seed Dressing Salad with Souper Sundays hosted by Kahakai Kitchen. 

Giant Cous Cous Salad

Is it the weekend yet?

I know I should not be wishing my life away, but its been a busy week with me having to work two late evenings that meant that I did not get home until just after 10 made, so I am ready for a break. 

Also I guess we are still far away from the weekend if I am about to talk about my work lunch.

I had not planned to make this Giant Cous Cous Salad, but we had nothing in the fridge as that particular weekend neither of us felt well enough to leave the house and venture far.  In the fridge I found half a butternut squash left over from Tagine I made a few days back and some red peppers.  I know peppers are not in season, I know that - but I always have them  for colour and for convenience to throw together dishes like this; and for some reason I had picked up a fennel bulb.  I also came across a packet of Jumbo or Giant Cous Cous that I thought would make a change from our usual pasta salad lunches. 

Italian Fiorelli Pasta with Fennel and Green Peppers

This Pasta with Fennel and Green Peppers is one I made many years back.  The recipe comes from on of my all-time favourite vegetarian chefs Denis Cotter owner of the best vegetarian restaurant Cafe Paradiso in Ireland, as well as its chef and co-founder.  Denis Cotter was one of the first to deliver contemporary style of vegetarian cuisine. There were not many innovative vegetarian or vegan cookbooks in the mid 1990s found in this part of the English speaking world. I really admire him, unlike other vegetarian and vegan chefs (that came after), he has never ever sought the limelight and has always been humble and modest. never looking for the Michelin Stars or Rosette recognition (although why not, Cafe Paradiso and his team truly deserves that accolade for what its worth). He for me redefined non-meat based cuisine by experimenting with original flavours, brilliant culinary improvisations and modern techniques at the time.  You can see Deni Cotters influences in the way many vegetarian chefs that came after (whether they admit it or not), have been inspired by him or have used many of his recipes as a springboard for their own.  I do sometimes think some people have very short memories as they forget original stars and voices of vegetarian and vegan cuisine in favour of those that crave the limelight and pretend that they have created something original, for example vegetables in cakes, people have you never heard of carrot cake!  

His book 'Paradiso Seasons was named as the best vegetarian cookbook in the world at the Gourmand World Cookbook Fair in 2004. Denis Cotter creates restaurant quality food that I truly want to eat. He is a big influence on the way I cook, he is vegetarian icon and a vegetarian hero of mine, especially when I want to create something a bit more avante garde  or honest and down to earth in my own kitchen, but never pretentious. 

I am patiently waiting for another brilliant and original cookbook from him.  ; and to visit Cafe Paradiso in Cork, Ireland remains on my wish list.  Dear Husband I hope you are reading this, if not I know you already know...

After all that high praise for Denis Cotter, i have to admit for quickness, I have cut lots of corners for this recipe.  For a start, he roasts the garlic in oil until it is tender, soft and sweet and can easily be popped out of its skin.  The garlic enhances fresh parsley and olive oil which forms part of the pasta sauce and much more.  

My Pasta with Fennel and Green Peppers is made with Fiorelli from M&S.  Its described as authentic Italian pasta made and air dried in the Italian Alps, using select Italian wheat and a bronze dye for a rough texture that picks up every drop of sauce.  The fiorelli* shaped pasta is supposed to resemble flower buds.  I loved the intense flavour combination in the final dish, lots of layers of flavours, from the garlic, the parsley, the peppers, the fennel and then piquancy from the sun dried tomatoes and black peppers and the pasta acted as a brilliant foil to hold all those flavours. 

This is my second  contribution to Food 'N' Flix this month  hosted at All Roads Lead To The Kitchen.  The movie chosen this month was French Kiss with Kevin Kline and the infectious Meg Ryan.   

I was fortunate to find the movie on youtube and watched it on a day when I was off work.  Less than 10 minutes into the movie I spotted some fresh vegetables in the kitchen on the table including tomatoes, carrots, fennel and a bowl of mushrooms I think.  This is just before the character Kate receives a phone call from her fiancee Charlie breaking up with her as he has fallen in love with someone he has met in Paris. The feathery fennel inspired me to make this pasta salad.  I am also sharing this Pasta Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen;  and finally  Healthy Vegan Fridays hosted by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition. 

Here is a link to Denis Cotters vegetarian cookbooks, many of which have vegan recipes.
Here are some other Denis Cotter inspired recipes on A2K- A Seasonal Veg Table
Aubergine, Black Eyed Peas Coconut Pot
Aubergine aka Eggplant Tomato Relish Pasta
Pumpkin, Black Beans and Leeks
Turnip Swede Curry
Balsamic Roasted Beetroot Dyed Pasta
Wild Garlic Past and Pesto
Roasted Runner Beans and Couscous
Jerusalem Artichoke Risotto 

In this blog post called Peeking Through Snowy Windows in 2010,  I wrote about 3 of my favourite chefs celebrating vegetables and Denis Cotter was named then and would still be today. 

*Here is a guide from the BBC of pasta shapes of Italy

Italian Fiorelli with Fennel and Green Peppers
Serves 3 - 4
Ingredients
250g Fiorelli Pasta, or other pasta shape.  
Cook according to packet instructions, drain and set aside

1 fennel, sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green pepper, sliced
12 black olives
2 tablespoons sun dried tomato, sliced
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a wide pan, heat the oil and then stir in the fennel and cook for five minutes, then stir in the garlic and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. then stir in the olives and sun dried tomatoes for a minute, then stir in the pasta, parsley and season to taste
Adapted from Denis Cotters The Cafe Paradiso Cookbook

Light Fennel, Red Pepper and Butternut Stew

Did you know that there are actually two types of fennel?  This vegetable has been assigned a gender.  The curvy bulbous is the female and the slender one is the male.  

Fennel is still not used much in British cooking, but it is slowly making an appearance mostly in raw salad dishes because of its crunch and  its flavour reminisce of aniseed, star anise or even licorice flavour.  Unlike the British, the French and Italians are very fond of this feathery frond stemmed vegetable.   So I was pleased to pick some up again  to make a Light Fennel, Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Stew infused with caraway seeds.  

I describe this Fennel, Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Stew as light as the sauce is not thick, its almost like a clear broth, like a consomme. It is also mildly spiced to warm your cheeks. 

This is my contribution to Food 'N' Flix this month  hosted by hosted by Heather at All Roads Lead To The Kitchen.  The movie chosen this month was French Kiss.  I watched it on youtube.  I saw the trailer and obviously the cheese plate on the train was influencing my decision to make a cheese dish, but then about 8 minutes into the movie I spotted some colourful vibrant fresh vegetables in the kitchen on the table including tomatoes, carrots and fennel.  This is just before the character Kate receives a phone call from her fiancee Charlie breaking up with her as he has fallen in love with someone he has met in Paris. 

I do like fennel, but we don't eat it much as we want as it is a bit of a luxury vegetable in our home, so I incorporated it in this light Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Stew.  I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but it is quite nippy in Wales and stews are very welcome, even light ones.  I am also sharing this broth stew with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen;  as it can be eaten with a spoon like a chunky soup too. 

Green Coconut Soup with Fennel

Yes this is really just another Green curry.

This Green vegetable Coconut Soup was made in the same vain as my korma soup, way too much coconut that it drowned the vegetables, but it was proper lush I tell you.  

I think D enjoyed it more so because of the fresh fennel, peeking out from the sides like angel wings. 

We used to grow it a lot of fennel when we had an allotment and eat it quite a bit.  But its been a while.  I picked it up with plans to make something else, then ended up throwing it into this Green Vegetable Coconut Soup and I am so glad it did.  It made for a wonderful change.  Thick, the consistency of Pea Veloute and colour just as vibrant - green and gold.

I am sharing this Red Cabbage Purple Potato Salad with Soups, Salads and Sammies hosted by Kahakai Kitchen and with Eat Your Greens hosted by my co-host The Veg Hog.

Carrot-Fennel Souffle Tart

Fennel, the feather like herby green that has been dormant the past few months in the border of my garden, has suddenly made its seasonal appearance.  The past few days, it has been waving its luxurious fronds at me vying for my attention and it certainly did attract my attention.  First I remembered when I bought it home, in a small pot, just a seedling.  Now look at it, its almost as big as me (almost).  Secondly, as I brushed my hand on the fronds to release its aniseedy-licorice fragrance, I begun to wonder how to incorporate it in my cooking. 

Many people tend to use the young fragrant leaves of the herb fennel to infuse fish and seafood. I like to include it in fresh salads and risotto's, but today it was a change. I had made my mind up to make a Carrot Souffle Tart and to this I would add a little of this anise seed flavoured herb.  You would think that the carrots would make this a heavy souffle and therefore fail to rise, but I assure you this Carrot-Fennel Souffle Tart is very light and full of flavour, from both the carrot and the fennel. 

Of course, like any souffle recipe, this one will also rise and sink as soon as it comes out of the oven.  So it is best to enjoy it immediately. 

I am submitting this recipe to Grow Your Own (GYO), now in its fourth year. It was started by Andrea Meyer of Andrea's Recipes who is also hosting this month. GYO is a food blogging event that celebrates the foods we grow ourselves and the dishes we create using our homegrown produce.

Carrot-Fennel Souffle Flan
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry
170g plain flour
A pinch of salt
85g cold butter
2 tablespoons cold water
Method for short crust pastry
Sift the flour with the salt into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons cold water to the mixture. Mix to a firm dough. It may be necessary to add more water. Chill, wrapped for at least 30 minutes before using.
Preheat oven to gas mark 6. Roll out the pastry and use to line a 8- 9 inch round dish, then back blind.
For the Carrot-Fennel Souffle filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
180g carrots, grated
2 tablespoon plain flour
150ml milk
50g Cheddar cheese, grated
½ teaspoon fennel herb leaves, minced
Optional: ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
Salt and pepper
2 eggs, separated.
alt and pepper to taste
Method for the filling
Heat the oil and fry the onion until it is soft. Add the garlic and carrots, stirring them until they are really soft. Add the flour and milk, and stir until the mixture thickens. Add the grated cheese fennel herb, fennel seeds if using, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and beat in the egg yolks.

Leave to cool, then fold in the whites, stiffly beaten. Fill the pastry shell with the mixture.

Bake in the oven at gas mark 6 for 20 – 25 minutes until the filling is well risen.

Serve immediately.

When Fennel met Chard

I realise that I have not up-dated you on my tiny garden plot recently. The weather has been extremely dreich (a Scottish dialect for dreary) and miserable.
Every time we make plans to work our little bit of land, it doesn’t just rain – it literally pours - buckets full too. So garden work has been postponed a number of times. But I have managed to pick some veg.
A handful of runner beans

last of the kohlrabi, a bunch of bolted chard and two of these fennels. This year I’ve grown the fennel in pots, they’ve done really well

The beauty of growing your own fennel is you get the glamorous green feather fronds. They are pretty for the table, but good for garnishing too. You can mince a tablespoon and scatter over this dish if you wish too.

Once ladled over the rice, this Black eyed bean dish with fennel and chard was soupy like. For me it was one to eat with a spoon, but D was happy with his knife and fork. The fennel flavour is faint in the background, not dominating the dish too much. It was also very light, leaving room for something sweet later.

Chard and Fennel with Black – eyed beans

Serves 2 - 4

Ingredients
2 bulbs of fennel
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 x 400g tomatoes, chopped
½ - 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
300ml vegetable stock
1 x 400g tin of black-eyed beans, drained and rinsed
160g Swiss chard, leaves only, washed and roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1 tablespoon fronds from the fennel, minced OR a handful of fresh coriander, chopped
Method
Trim the roots from the fennel and remove and discard the outer leaves. Slice the fennel thinly.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and fennel and fry over low heat for about 10 minutes until very soft and lightly coloured. Add the garlic and cook for 1 further minute. Stir in the coriander, tomatoes, fennel seeds, stock and cooked beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Partially cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the greens and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until slightly reduced and well flavoured. Stir in optional minced fennel fronds or coriander. Serve with rice.

Oven braised fennel, green and runner beans

This potato, fennel and runner bean salad was an attempt to use up what we have in the vegetable basket and fridge, otherwise it was all destined for the compost bin in the garden. But before I share the recipe, here's some photographs of vegetables growing in my garden.

The beetroot is not looking promising. Oh it has excellent leaves, but I'm doubtful about the bulb itself.

Kohlrabi, the biggest of the three has now been harvested.

The last of the broad beans, pretty disappointing show this year, hence the reason I picked some up at the weekend.

This goldrush courgette also got picked.

So did this courgette di nizza. As well as fennel, a snowball cauliflower, a floret or two of broccoli and a handful of green bean. I also harvested a load of runner beans from both the Scarlet Emperor and hestia dwarf plants

Some of you will know that I am growing potatoes in two large pots. Even though they have not produced any flowers, I am sure they must be ready, but I have chosen not to harvest them, until after my holidays.

Oven braised fennel, green and runner beansCombined with new potatoes to make a warm salad.
Serves 2 - 4
Ingredients
250g small new potatoes, steamed and set aside
100g green beans, trimmed and halved
200g runner beans, trimmed and cut into diagonals
1 small red onion, sliced
1 medium fennel, ferns removed and sliced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 clove of garlic, sliced
2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
150ml vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: fresh fennel herb for garnishing

Method
Place the potatoes in a pan of salted boiling water and boil for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Set aside.
Preheat oven to gas mark 6. In a large oven or baking tin. Add all the ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook for 35 – 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the potatoes. Garnish with fennel herb and serve warm.

Garnish with fennel herb and serve warm.

Question is now what to do with the kohlrabi and courgette di nizza and gold rush that I’ve just harvested. Maybe I should spend a little more time in the kitchen this evening and make a pasta salad for our journey down south or maybe some cakes and biscuits to take back to my family, I’m sure they’ll be appreciated more than a tin of chocolates and flowers!

Finale of the Fennel

The finale fennel at the allotment was starting to bolt. So I have pulled them all out, except for one that was starting to flower. I decided to leave that for the flying wildlife, but also for it's architectural beauty.

When fennel is as fresh as this, the best you can do is eat it raw. Look papa, it's all raw and vegan. I know this fennel salad don't look like very much on the plate, but it's the taste that really matters and this dish really is full of flavour that you will want to serve it alongside some plain boiled potatoes. This is a refreshing and clean-tasting salad.
I am submitting this to Chriesi from Almond Corner who is the host for this weeks weekend Herb Blogging (WHB) #201. Chriesi has a lovely food blog accompanied by beautiful photography. The weekly food blog event showcases information and recipes about herbs, vegetables, fruits and other plant ingredients. Weekend Herb Blogging was first initiated by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen. It is now organized by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once.

I was going to write about the fennel herb which I have used in this recipe, but thought I would focus on the herbs big sister: the Bulbous Florence fennel. Anyone who has eaten fennel, will tell you it is an acquired taste. It's one of those vegetables you either love or loath. I am in between, I just like it, but that wasn't always the case. My experience of fennel came in two ways. as fennel seeds appearing in various spice dishes, but also as gripe water, given to babies and children when they had a delicate stomach. Ooh the memories that brings back from my childhood.

Florence fennel is a magnificent plant. Very impressive with it high, swaying, feathery fronds. Here is my nephew showcasing them. The vegetable fennel is a round, compact, bulbous curvy plant. There are two types. The bulbous is the female and the slender one is the male. Yes, the fennel has a gender, who would have thought it. It is also known as finocchio.

Fennel is not used very much in British cooking, but there has been some interest in recent years. We are now seeing fennel appearing on menus at restaurants and numerous cookery shows showcasing it's versatility. Unlike the British, the Italians and French are rather fond of this stem vegetable.

Florence fennel has a strong aniseed and liquorice taste. It is reputed to be both a digestive and a diuretic. Fennel can be eaten raw as long as it is sliced thinly. The fennel keeps it shape very well, so it can be also blanched, braised, roasted, griddled, barbecued and in a gratin. It can also be made into creamy soups. I have even seen cookery shows where chefs have made candied fennel. So it is quite versatile.

Fennel with black olives and tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 - 2 fennel, fronds and tough bit removed

1 fennel herb frond

300g cherry tomatoes, halved

2 garlic cloves, crushed

60g black olives, stoned and thinly sliced

For the dressing

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

4 tbsp good olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Slice the fennel lengthways into thin slices, don't worry if the fennel falls apart. Pour the mixed dressing on top and the minced garlic. Leave to marinate for at least an hour. When ready to serve give it a mix then scatter over the tomato halves, black olives, garnish with fennel herb and serve.

Creamy Yellow Fennel

These dainty yellow flower buds are growing on my fennel herb plant and happily attracting insects, as well as adding colour to the garden border.

As you may be aware, I picked about three finale fennel from the plot on Sunday. So I had been thinking what to do with them. In the past, I have read of the numerous ways to braise fennel, but had never actually attempted it. Well today being a not so pleasant day, I was yearning for something warm and comforting, I decided to go for a creamy braised fennel gratin option.

My mother liked the fleshy texture and the aniseed taste of the fennel. I served the braised fennel gratin with some tamari gridded Portobello mushrooms and some plain boiled potatoes, to mop up the juices. In the eating of the fennel, there was something of the globe artichoke about them. What exactly, I can't say - it just was - well you will just have to take my word for it.
Braised fennel gratin
Serves 4 as an accompaniment

Ingredients

3 fennel bulbs, cut into quarters

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

6 tablespoons of olive oil

300ml vegetable stock made with 1 teaspoon of bouillon powder

100ml double cream

40g cheddar cheese, grated

Method

Put the fennel and garlic in a heavy bottomed frying pan and cover with the olive oil and stock. Bring to the boil, reduce to low and simmer gently for 30 minutes or until the fennel is tender and the liquid reduced by three quarters.

Now turn your grill on high and while it is heating up, stir the cream into the fennel, bring back to the boil and immediately remove from the heat. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and place under the hot grill until just bubbling. Serve at once.
Adapted from Cranks Fast Food