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Fennel and Leeks Gratinée

  • June 25, 2021

I’m not sure why fennel and leeks aren’t as popular in the U.S. as they are in Italy and France, but I’m doing my part here. My husband hadn’t really eaten either of them until he met me, even though he also grew up in an Italian-American family. Broccoli, peas and carrots were more his standard. But fennel is a vegetable that was always on my family’s table when I was growing up. I can remember many holidays when a stainless steel tray, piled with raw fennel, olives, celery and radishes, was served before the main event. We never ate fennel cooked when I was a child, but I’ve made up for that as an adult. It’s one of my favorite vegetables and I’ve been eating it topped with gratinéed parmesan cheese ever since I first had it at a friend’s house decades ago. Leeks are a different story though, since they were never served in our house during my childhood. Even now, I usually buy them only when I want to make leek and potato soup. But they deserved a more starring role for a change, so I paired them with the fennel in this casserole, and the combination was perfect.

Start by cooking the fennel in a gently simmering pan of water. Then drain it, arrange it in a buttered baking dish, and sprinkle with seasoned salt and pepper.

Do the same with the leeks, then cover everything with shavings of fresh parmesan cheese.

Place it in the oven for a short time, then turn on the broiler for a few minutes to brown the cheese, and decorate with some fennel fronds. Try it and see if you can’t convince more of your friends to try cooked fennel and leeks. I think my husband might finally be onboard. He even took seconds last night. But the leftovers are all mine.

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Fennel and Leeks Gratinee
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large fennel bulb
  • 2 large leeks
  • seasoned salt
  • black pepper
  • butter to smear on the casserole
  • water to cover
  • shaved parmesan cheese (about a half cup)
Instructions
  1. Trim the stalks off the fennel, and cut out most of the hard core.
  2. Slice the fennel into four or five thick slices (about ¼" thick).
  3. Place the fennel gently into a pan with boiling water, to cover.
  4. Cover the pan and let it bubble gently for ten minutes or until the fennel is fork tender.
  5. Remove the fennel and place in a buttered casserole.
  6. Trim the leeks, cutting off most of the top green part, leaving a portion of it on the stem.
  7. Cut in half lengthwise and place under running water to remove any dirt.
  8. Place the leeks in the boiling water cut side down and boil gently for five minutes, covered.
  9. Flip the leeks over gently and cook another five minutes in the water.
  10. Remove the leeks from the water and drain.
  11. Into a buttered casserole, arrange the fennel and leeks, then season with salt and pepper.
  12. Place thin slices of parmesan cheese on the top.
  13. Place in a 475 degree oven for ten minutes, then place under the broiler for a few minutes until lightly browned.
  14. Keep a careful watch on the dish because it can burn easily.
 

Easy Sheet Pan Sausage Dinner

  • January 25, 2021

Some days you just don’t feel like fussing too much but want a good, home-cooked meal. This one, that takes just a half hour’s time from start to finish, fits the bill perfectly. In addition to Italian sausage, I choose to add fennel, one of my favorite vegetables, plus small Yukon gold potatoes, red peppers and onions. Everything gets tossed into a sheet pan, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 450 for 30 minutes. I was inspired to make this after seeing a post from my friend Stacey, who used cabbage with the sausage, which also works really well.  Feel free to use cabbage, fennel, peppers, mushroom chunks or even Brussels sprouts. They would all taste great with the sausage.

Stacey also made a mustard sauce that paired well with the sausages, so I followed her lead. I didn’t use the soy sauce the recipe called for, but it was delicious anyway with just the other ingredients. Even though we’re just two people at dinner these days, I always cook at least five or six sausages. We normally finish all the vegetables, but there are always a couple of sausages left over that make great lunch sandwiches the next day. Forget corned beef and cabbage that’s boiled to death — this is so much better – and a dish you’ll want to make again and again. Beer optional, but highly recommended.

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Easy Sheet Pan Sausage Dinner
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • Five or six large links of Italian sausage
  • vegetables of your choosing:
  • small Yukon gold potatoes
  • onions
  • fennel
  • red peppers
  • cabbage
  • Brussels sprouts
  • olive oil
  • seasoned salt (I make this every year by drying my fresh herbs and mixing with Kosher salt)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • FOR THE SAUCE:
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp grainy mustard
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • sea salt & pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Place the sausage in a large pan.
  3. Slice the potatoes in half and place them cut side down on the pan so they will brown well.
  4. Slice the red peppers in large pieces and scatter around.
  5. Cut the fennel into large chunks an place on the pan.
  6. Cut the cabbage into quarters and place on the pan.
  7. Drizzle a little olive oil on everything (not too much because the sausage will release some oil too).
  8. Sprinkle some seasoned salt and pepper over everything.
  9. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping everything after 15 minutes.
  10. Meanwhile, while the dinner cooks, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients and whisking together.
  11. Serve separately on the side, or drizzle over everything if you prefer.
 

Chicken with fennel and clementines

  • April 5, 2018

Before clementines and fennel bulbs disappear for the season, you’ve got to make this dish – if you haven’t already done so. It’s been around for a few years, and is one of my favorites from Yotam Ottolenghi, the Israeli chef whose recipes I go to when I have a yen for Middle Eastern food.

The combination of fennel and clementines, roasted at high temperature, along with the mustard and other ingredients, deliver an intense flavor to the chicken. I’ve taken a few liberties with the original recipe, replacing the Arak in favor of Sambuca, another anise flavored liqueur, and one that most Italian-Americans have in their pantry.

I also changed the quantities of some of the ingredients, adding more orange and lemon juice, for instance, to allow for more sauce to spoon over the chicken at the end, and to drizzle over rice or noodles you might like to serve on the side.

You’ll also notice I used chicken breasts in this recipe. Feel free to use legs or thighs, but always with the bone intact and the skin on. You could even use an entire small chicken, as Ottolenghi does, but if you do, make sure you increase the quantities of the other ingredients.

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Chicken with fennel and clementines
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • For Two People:
  • 1 large chicken breast, with bones and skin, cut into four pieces
  • ¼ cup Sambuca, or any anise flavored liqueur
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • ⅛ cup lemon juice
  • 2 T. grainy mustard
  • 2 T. light brown sugar
  • 1 medium fennel bulb, cut into about eight pieces
  • 2 clementines, sliced, with the skin on
  • 1 T. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
  • salt, pepper, to taste
  • fennel fronds to garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
  2. Mix the Sambuca, olive oil, orange and lemon juice, mustard and brown sugar and fennel seeds.
  3. Season the chicken pieces and fennel with salt and pepper and place in a lightly greased casserole. Scatter the clementine slices around, making sure that everything is in one layer. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken and fennel. If you have time, do this step ahead of time and let it sit at room temperature for an hour.
  4. Cook for about 35 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the skin is slightly charred. About ten minutes before the chicken is fully cooked, pour the rest of the marinade over everything and finish cooking. If it doesn't look "browned" enough, crank up the temperature to 500 degrees.
 

 

 

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Flounder and Fennel with Lemon and Oranges

  • February 4, 2016

 The older I get, the harder it becomes to shed those extra pounds. It seems like the resolve I had to lose weight at the beginning of the year is always thwarted by another dinner party, another restaurant meal, another gift of chocolates or some other temptation that I’ve been given.

I confess I’m not very good at resisting all these treats, but in an attempt to ameliorate the extra calories that pile on, I cook a meal like this and it helps assuage any guilt.
But I don’t make this meal just because of the lower caloric load. It’s also because it just tastes so delicious. The fish was caught locally off New Jersey shores and that helps. The short cooking time and technique also ensures you’ll have a flaky and moist piece of fish to serve. It’s quick and easy enough to prepare for a weeknight meal, but good enough for company too.
Start by buttering an ovenproof dish and slicing fennel into “matchsticks.” Salt and pepper the fennel,  then cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for about 10 minutes at 475 degrees F.
Remove from the oven then place the fish on top of the fennel.
Scatter a little butter on top (I used less than 1 T. for two servings), season the fish, and place slices of lemon and orange on top. Squeeze more juice and some white wine over all and bake for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle a little parsley on top, serve with a side of veggies and enjoy a no-guilt meal.

 

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Flounder and Fennel with Lemon and Oranges
printable recipe here

For Two Servings:

Two pieces of flounder or fluke (about 6 oz. each)
1/2 fennel bulb
1 T. butter
1 clementine or small orange
1 lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine
salt, pepper
minced parsley

Lightly grease an ovenproof pan with a little of the 1 T. butter. You’ll use the rest of the butter on the fish later.
Slice the fennel into “matchstick” size pieces. Scatter them in the pan, season with salt and pepper and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake in a 475 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and place the fish over the fennel. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of half a clementine or small orange, and half a lemon over the top. Pour 1/4 cup dry white wine over the fish and dab with the rest of the 1 T. butter.
Cover with the aluminum foil and place back in the oven for 10 minutes, or until fish is cooked through and flaky. It may take less than 10 minutes if your fish pieces are thin, so check after five or six minutes)

 

Arugula and Fennel Salad

  • May 28, 2014

 It’s here and it crept up on me – bathing suit season, that is. ugh. Is it too late to start dieting now? Oh forget it – there’s just too much good gelato in my future. But it can’t hurt to have a light salad or two for lunch or dinner. I’ve always loved raw fennel and raw mushrooms in a salad, but this one is kicked up a notch with the addition of chive flowers and pink peppercorns – not original ideas to be sure, because almost everything’s been done before. But I did get inspired to use those pink peppercorns after seeing Lori’s salad here, and to throw in those chives after seeing Stacey’s dish here.

You’ll need a mandolin to cut the fennel thin enough, but we careful of those thumbs and fingers. Shave the parmesan with a cheese plane, crush the pink peppercorns, and toss in some chive flowers or  tiny thyme blossoms. And don’t worry about those few extra pounds — enjoy the gelato.

 

Arugula Fennel Salad
printable recipe here
 
arugula – one small bunch
one small bulb of fennel
shaved parmesan cheese, as much as you like
sliced raw button mushrooms – about 6 or 8, depending on size
Dressing:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
 a little less than 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
a small bit of honey (1 t. or so)
a small squirt of Dijon mustard
salt, pepper
pink peppercorns, smashed
chive blossoms, thyme blossoms
aged balsamic vinegar, optional
Mix all the dressing ingredients in a jar. Wash the arugula and toss with enough of the dressing to coat.
Slice the fennel thinly using a mandoline. Careful not to cut yourself. Toss the fennel with a bit of dressing and place over the arugula. Wash the mushrooms and slice thinly. Scatter them over the salad, then shave parmesan cheese over everything. Decorate with chive blossoms and/or thyme flowers.
Drizzle a little aged balsamic vinegar over the salad, if you have it. Otherwise, it’s fine just as is.

Fennel Pizza

  • December 16, 2008

I get my hair cut by student stylists at a salon in New York City ‘s Soho. Mostly because it’s a bargain – but my other excuse to go there is because it’s just around the corner from Sullivan Street and the Grandaisy Bakery. It’s the previous home of the Sullivan Street Bakery, but the former bakery moved to W. 47th Street and kept the name – even though it is a little counter intuitive to name a place Sullivan Street Bakery if it’s not located on Sullivan Street. But their bread is so renowned that the name has cachet for New Yorkers – or for anyone who’s eaten it.
Enter Grandaisy Bakery, which makes breads, cakes and pizzas that taste like they’re made with the same recipes that the Sullivan Street Bakery uses. Among the offerings are artisanal breads and pizzas topped with seasonal ingredients. In the fall that means atypical toppings you won’t find elsewhere, such as cauliflower or fennel.
I adore fennel in all variations so I just had to try to duplicate what I ate there several weeks ago. You’ll need to pull out your mandoline to slice the fennel thinly enough. Or you can try using the slicing attachment on your food processor. Either way, it’s easy to prepare and the recipe makes enough to fit into a large cookie sheet. It’s perfect for a party when you want to serve finger food for lots of people. You can make it ahead of time and reheat later — that is if you can resist the aroma when it comes out of the oven.

Fennel Pizza

For the dough:

If you don’t want to make it from scratch, buy some fresh dough from your local pizzeria

3 cups flour
1 package dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water
1 T sugar
2 t. salt
3 T. olive oil
cornmeal
freshly ground salt
more olive oil for the top

Bring the water temperature to about 105 to 110 degrees. Use a kitchen thermometer to test. This is very important. Otherwise, if the temperature is too hot, you risk killing the active ingredient in the yeast. If the temperature is too low, it will take too long to rise. Add the yeast and sugar to the water. Wait for about 10 minutes to make sure it “blooms,” or puffs up. That will ensure the yeast is working and the dough will rise.
Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the water, yeast and sugar mixture and the olive oil. Start mixing it together with a wooden spoon or your hands. You may have to add more water, depending on the humidity that day. It should come together in a ball. If it doesn’t, add more water if it seems too dry, or more flour, if it seems too sticky. Knead on a flat surface for about five minutes or longer until it starts to feel and look smooth. Let it rest in a greased and covered bowl until it doubles in size. This may take as little as two hours or longer, depending on where you put the bowl. Leave it in a warm spot to make it rise faster, or you can even put it in the refrigerator overnight if you want to make it the next day.
When the dough is ready, grease a large cookie sheet with some olive oil, then sprinkle with cornmeal. Take the dough and stretch it out on a floured board or counter using a rolling pin. When it is nearly the same size as the cookie sheet, transfer it with your hands to the prepared sheet and shape the dough into the cookie sheet. It is a very resistant dough, so you have to keep working it to get it to all the corners. Take a fork and puncture the dough all over. Then grind some salt and sprinkle more olive oil all over the surface. Let the dough rise a second time in the pan for at least one hour.

Top it with the following:

1/2 large fennel bulb, or 1 small fennel bulb, sliced thinly
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T. freshly chopped thyme
1 T. freshly chopped rosemary

Bake in a preheated 475 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until bottom crust looks browned and crispy and top is golden.