Fennel runs in the same family as carrots, celery, dill, and parsley. It’s somehow a strange combination of these vegetables that tastes somewhere between celery and black licorice: a sweet and very mild anise flavor.
You have most probably eaten fennel in a salad, thinly sliced with vinaigrette. Although summer is not fennel’s season, it still makes a perfect side dish with your summer BBQ. It’s also perfect to accompany any meat or fish. It can also be served quite simply as a vegetarian dish with potatoes.
Fennel is rich with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories; it helps support immunity and is high in fiber. The color of fresh fennel is pale green, almost white. If it starts to have brown spots on the outside, just remove the external layer.
Serving: 4/5 people
Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
2 medium-size onions
3 fennel bulbs
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (if possible)
1/3 cup / 50 g heavy cream or whipped cream
3 branches of fresh thyme (optional)
1- Preheat oven to 400 F / 200 C
2- Cut off both ends of the onion with a sharp knife. Cut them in two lengthwise and slice coarsely.
3- Cut off the stalk from the fennel bulbs and the bottom – you can use the stalk and the feathery fronds for salad or soup.
4- Cut the bulbs in two and slice them 3/8 of an inch (1 cm) wide.
5- Pour the olive oil into a skillet, add the onions, and turn on the heat. Brown them on medium-high until they are transparent.
6- Add the fennel to the onions, stir regularly to avoid burning them, and brown them for 10 min or until they change color and start to caramelize.
7- Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and stir.
8- Move the vegetables to a baking dish. Pour the cream on the fennel and lay the fresh thyme on top to flavor the vegetables.
9- Put the dish in the oven for 45/50 min.
10- Remove the thyme before serving.
The fennels and onions melt wonderfully together. The blend softens the anise taste and the result is delicate and smooth. My family loves it and my guests always ask for more. One could say they are very polite!
Don’t forget, the end of quarantine doesn’t mean the end of the virus! #staysafe
