What about this braised fennel for today: crunchy fennel braised slices in white wine… This is such a great vegetable side dish for all kinds of beef, fish, pork or chicken dishes. Eat your greens!
Braised fennel, this one has been on my long recipes shortlist for some time now.
I think that I mentioned it before here on my blog but fennel is probably my most favorite vegetable (apart from good-quality tomatoes meaning Belgian tomatoes are a big no no).
God, how I used to hate fennel when I was little!
How about you?
Fresh Fennel Bulb
Do you like fennel?
I know quite a lot of people who hate fennel. My mom for instance.
And I get it, its flavor is not for the faint of heart.
So what does fennel taste like then?
I would say anisette liqueur. Never tried that before?
Then what about Greek ouzo, or French pastis?
Easy White Wine Braised Fennel Bulb Recipe
This fennel recipe is a very easy one to make?
Can you prepare other versions and add an extra vegetable?
Yes, I am thinking of braised fennel and leeks. Or braised fennel and shallots.
Do you know what also works well in combination with fennel?
Orange!
Yes, you can make braised fennel with orange.
By the way, I once made a cold shaved fennel and orange escabeche salad. That is a salad that goes extremely well with seared duck breast for instance.
Fennel Seeds
Fennel is mostly available year-round but I find it at its best in early spring. This recipe below is a good match for all kinds of beef, fish pork or chicken dishes.
Here at home we also love to cook with fennel seeds.
I am sure that fennel seeds are the most popular seeds we cook with. Quite often I have to put fennel seeds on my shopping list for a refill.
Do you love braised vegetables?
Then you should also check out my braised endives!
Enjoy!
Easy White Wine Braised Fennel Bulb Recipe
Braised fennel: crunchy fennel slices braised briefly in white wine... A great side dish for all kinds of beef, fish pork or chicken dishes. Eat your greens!
- 1 large fresh fennel
- ½ glass dry white wine
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
- Rinse the fennel well under cold running tap water and let it drain a bit. Remove the upper green stalks and sprigs. Keep those sprigs aside for garnish later. Cut the fennel in half, cut those halves in half as well and cut those quarters in half again. You should end up with 8 fennel slices. Don't remove the bottom side: it will keep the fennel together while braising.
- Add a splash of olive oil to a large non-stick pan and add the fennel. Season with a little pepper and salt.
Place the pan over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes until it looks golden brown. Flip the fennel slices over on their uncooked side and brown these as well for a couple of minutes. Pour in the white wine and bring it to a boil.
- Then turn the heat low, put a lid on the pan and simmer the fennel in the wine for 4 minutes. Flip the fennel over again and simmer covered for another few minutes.
- Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste. Transfer the fennel onto a clean plate. Drizzle with the remaining wine sauce in the pan. Sprinkle with a little pepper and garnish with some of the green sprigs you kept aside. Serve lukewarm.
Yotam Ottolenghi
Not so long ago I came across a recipe for braised fennel Ottolenghi made.
Do you know chef Yotam Ottolenghi?
He is an Israeli-English chef, restaurateur, and food writer. And He must be one of the most popular chefs at this moment.
His braised fennel recipe with olives and capers is absolutely to die for, check it out!
I love Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes, he is absolutely amazing.
More Fennel Recipes
How often do you cook with fresh fennel?
Do you have a couple of delicious fennel recipes up your sleeve?
If you do, let me know in the comments below. I would love to know how you like to prepare fresh fennel at home!
I once made an oven tray bake with fennel and carrots.
That braised fennel and carrots side dish was just perfect with steak.
And what about braised fennel and potatoes?
Or braised fennel with tomatoes?
Easy Braised Fennel & Sausages with Apples & Cider
Well hey, how about some braised fennel and sausages!
Are you in? I get it, because this dish might look like a hearty winter oven dish. However it is surprisingly light, crisp and fresh. Which also makes it a perfect summer dinner!
It is true.
Summer or winter, this baked sausage with apples, fennel and cider tastes great at all times.
Have you thought of baking apples before?
Savory Baked Apples
Baked apples are actually a delicious side dish.
And not only for the classic blood sausage or roast chicken. I like baked apples especially in combination with fresh fennel. Both are powerful enough to stand up to the pork sausages.
I also like to add a good dash of freshly ground black pepper to this dish to heat things up a bit. Yum, bring it on! Like I said, this can be a great summer bake too!
Try it!
Easy Baked Sausage with Fennel & Cider
Have you ever cooked with apple cider before?
It is so different from cooking with white wine for instance. Because the cider sauce that you get in the end is much sweeter and quite fruity. And a great match for the fennel and bakes sausage!
You need half a cup (120 ml) of apple cider for this baked sausage recipe below.
No need to say that you can empty the rest of the bottle during dinner of course. A glass of apple cider evidently is the best match for this oven dish.
Apple Cider
Do you love cooking with apple cider?
Then you should also check out my chicken with apples in cider sauce! Or how about my Spanish chorizo sausages in cider!
Are you more into salmon?
Then also take a look at this Asturian style salmon in cider sauce with cured ham. You can also find it by the name of salmón a la ribereña in Spain.
Enjoy!
Easy Braised Fennel & Sausage Recipe
Well hey, how about some baked sausage today! It might look like a hearty winter oven dish but it's surprisingly light, crisp and fresh.
- 4 pork sausages
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 1 medium fresh fennel
- 2 large garlic cloves
- ½ cup apple cider (120 ml)
- olive oil
- pepper
- salt
1) Peel the garlic cloves and chop them up roughly. Cut the apple into quarters and remove the cores. Don’t peel the apple. Wash the fennel bulb and let it drain on a clean kitchen towel. Cut off the green sprigs and set them aside for garnish later. Roughly slice the fennel up.
2) Then transfer the sliced fennel, apple wedges, chopped garlic cloves and the (pork) sausages to a large ceramic oven dish. Sprinkle with a generous splash of olive oil. Season well with a generous sprinkle of pepper and salt. Stir all the ingredients using your hands.
3) Place the dish in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) and roast the ingredients for about 30 minutes. Remove the hot dish from the oven (don’t turn it off yet). Pour in the apple cider and carefully stir the ingredients again.
4) Put the ceramic oven dish back into the hot oven and bake for another 30 minutes at 356°F (180°C). Then remove the dish and let it cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked fennel and apples onto plates. Top with the baked sausage. Drizzle with some of the remaining cider sauce. Garnish with fennel sprigs. Finish with a sprinkle of pepper and salt. Serve the baked sausage immediately.
