Braised Fennel

This light preparation has a slight licorice or anise flavor once braised. It goes well with grilled fish and grilled meats. First published by The French Cooking Academy, (www.thefrenchcookingacademy.com) I encountered the recipe looking for instructions on how to prepare the fennel bulb itself. This YouTube video was very helpful and has good preparation tips. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3_sMpejtqs

INGREDIENTS

 3 to 4 fennel bulbs

 ½ cup white wine (125 ml) or vegetable broth

 ¼ cup water (50 ml)

 1 bay leaf

 A few small twigs of thyme

 1 tsp coriander seeds

 Olive oil

 1 lemon

 Salt and pepper to season

PROCEDURE

 To prepare the fennel, first remove the stalks, then thinly slice off the root end. Take care not to slice it too thickly to avoid disconnecting the outer skins of the bulb.

Peel off the outer layer of skin, then halve the bulb lengthwise and again into quarters.

Blanch the bulbs by placing in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, then scoop them out with a slotted spoon and drain in a sieve. The fennel will be fragile so avoid using tongs for this step.

Heat some oil in a grill pan and place the fennel face down to achieve those nice-looking grill marks. This is purely for aesthetics and is not an essential part of the cooking process. A frying pan may also be used.

Combine the wine or broth, water, coriander seeds, bay leaf and thyme and seasoning in a pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Select a pan that allows all the pieces to sit on the bottom of the pan in the braising liquid.

Once simmering, carefully place the fennel pieces in and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Then cover the pan and allow the dish to steam for 35 minutes until a knife easily pierces the fennel at the base. Carefully watch the pan as the time passes to avoid boiling all the liquid away. You may add some additional water as needed.

Baste the fennel with the pan juices before serving with a spoonful of pan juices and a drizzle of lemon. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator.