Heavy Fennel Week

I'm not sure why, but the fennel really caught my eye at the store this week. I had been meaning to try braising it for a while, and this seemed like a really good opportunity. Later in the week we made another dish with fennel. If you don't like fennel, or think you don't, I'd suggest you try the second dish described here.

First, I got two nice looking bulbs and found this recipe online:

Braised Fennel

This recipe is from marthastewart.com. (I halved the recipe.)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2/3 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4 medium bulbs fennel, each cut into 6 wedges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place orange juice, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, cumin, and lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl; whisk until well combined.
3. Place fennel in a baking dish just large enough to fit fennel in an even layer; pour over orange juice mixture. Cover with parchment-paper-lined aluminum foil and transfer to oven. Bake for 35 minutes, uncover, and continue baking until fennel is golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove from oven; serve warm or at room temperature.

I thought it was pretty good, and I'd make it again. But I might use a bit less cumin and lemon zest. Naomi tried a bite, ate it, and said "I tried it, but I don't like it. I don't like fennel the vegetable. I only like fennel the animal." I think she meant the fennec, but it was a pretty good reference nonetheless.

Now, onto the next fennel adventure...

When I was at the fish counter at Whole Foods the cod looked good, and that reminded me of a favorite dish of my husband's and another fennel endeavor.

Cod with Fennel and Capers

Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa. There are some major ingredients missing in my version, but it's yummy and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion- chopped
• 1 bulb fennel- chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 28 ounces can San Marzano tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• handful fresh basil leaves- chiffonade
• 2 tablespoons capers and a splash of the brine from the jar
• 1 lb fresh cod filet

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Saute onion and fennel until just translucent.

2. In a small mesh sieve set over a bowl, drain tomatoes. Break all tomatoes open with a spoon so all liquid is released. Reserve juice for later. Add drained tomatoes to pan. Stir into fennel and onion.

3. Cut fish into just-larger-than-bite-sized pieces.

4. Add fish, capers, caper brine, and a enough of the reserved tomato juice to barely cover fish. Stir gently, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until a large piece of fish flakes easily when tested with a fork- about 20 minutes.

5. Stir in fresh basil (which my store was out of today, I couldn't believe it.), and serve. We always serve this over orzo tossed with a pat of butter. Yum.