Always fresh and full of flavor
[2008-5-15]
Tag: Powder Flavor
If efficiency were a vegetable, it might be fennel. The plant grows from the ground up with a useful agenda.
The bulb-like white base – a circular arrangement of stalks – can be eaten fresh, or roasted, braised or stewed for entrees, side dishes and soups. Farther up, the stalks narrow and turn green. These have the crunch of celery and can be eaten in much the same way. Fennel’s topper, the feathery, dilly fronds, can be used as an herb that imparts a muted licorice flavor. Even the seeds are edible and lend a hand to flavor Italian sausages and are used in spice blends such as Indian curries and Chinese five-spice powder.
Fennel has long been a favorite in gardens and in kitchens. The mythology dates to the Greeks, when Prometheus gave fire to mankind in the form of a piece of coal carried in a fennel stalk.
Today, chefs are carrying the fennel message. Menus are laced with innovative recipes that use it in a variety of ways. Just slice into a bulb. The aroma that wafts up from the vegetable, which is also called sweet anise, is subtly licorice-like but nothing like the sticky black candy. The smell is clean and pleasant. Those qualities are transmitted to the dishes when fennel is involved. And it’s in season in fall and spring, making May and June a good time to find it locally at pick-your-own farms.
If you’re a novice, keep in mind that most recipes call for the base of the plant. Just trim off the green stalks and use the rest julienned in salads and slaws. Or combine fennel with hearty flavors in a satisfying soup or use it as a star in a light vegetarian entrée.
LOVE THIS STORY? Then pick up the latest copy of Wilmington Magazine, available at locations throughout the Port City, including Harris Teeter, Port City Java, and Barnes & Noble.
Fresh Fennel and Rigatoni in a Rustic Tomato Sauce
Chef Stephen Duncan of Dan’s Mason Bistro says that while you may incorporate fish, scallops, shrimp or chicken into this dish, it also can be a vegetarian delight, made heartier with the addition of Tuscan white beans.
1 small to medium onion
8-10 cloves of garlic
1 fresh fennel bulb, sliced
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 can high quality whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups spinach or arugula (optional)
2-3 tbsp. good quality olive oil
½ cup red wine
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh (or 1½ tsp. dried) thyme
½ pound cooked rigatoni
Salt and pepper to taste
Dice onion and garlic. Sauté with olive oil in medium-sized pot over medium heat. To get the most flavor from the vegetables you’re using, make sure they soften, but don’t brown.
Add the olives and the red pepper. Then let cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the fennel and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add wine then the tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes as you add them to the pot, which will give you a sauce and still leave bite-sized pieces for the finished dish.
Add the thyme, salt and pepper then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the flavors meld. (If you are using the whole sprigs of thyme, you can remove them at this point.) Finish by folding in the rigatoni and spinach or arugula. Makes 3 to 4 servings.
If efficiency were a vegetable, it might be fennel. The plant grows from the ground up with a useful agenda.
The bulb-like white base – a circular arrangement of stalks – can be eaten fresh, or roasted, braised or stewed for entrees, side dishes and soups. Farther up, the stalks narrow and turn green. These have the crunch of celery and can be eaten in much the same way. Fennel’s topper, the feathery, dilly fronds, can be used as an herb that imparts a muted licorice flavor. Even the seeds are edible and lend a hand to flavor Italian sausages and are used in spice blends such as Indian curries and Chinese five-spice powder.
Fennel has long been a favorite in gardens and in kitchens. The mythology dates to the Greeks, when Prometheus gave fire to mankind in the form of a piece of coal carried in a fennel stalk.
Today, chefs are carrying the fennel message. Menus are laced with innovative recipes that use it in a variety of ways. Just slice into a bulb. The aroma that wafts up from the vegetable, which is also called sweet anise, is subtly licorice-like but nothing like the sticky black candy. The smell is clean and pleasant. Those qualities are transmitted to the dishes when fennel is involved. And it’s in season in fall and spring, making May and June a good time to find it locally at pick-your-own farms.
If you’re a novice, keep in mind that most recipes call for the base of the plant. Just trim off the green stalks and use the rest julienned in salads and slaws. Or combine fennel with hearty flavors in a satisfying soup or use it as a star in a light vegetarian entrée.
LOVE THIS STORY? Then pick up the latest copy of Wilmington Magazine, available at locations throughout the Port City, including Harris Teeter, Port City Java, and Barnes & Noble.
Fresh Fennel and Rigatoni in a Rustic Tomato Sauce
Chef Stephen Duncan of Dan’s Mason Bistro says that while you may incorporate fish, scallops, shrimp or chicken into this dish, it also can be a vegetarian delight, made heartier with the addition of Tuscan white beans.
1 small to medium onion
8-10 cloves of garlic
1 fresh fennel bulb, sliced
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 can high quality whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups spinach or arugula (optional)
2-3 tbsp. good quality olive oil
½ cup red wine
5 or 6 sprigs of fresh (or 1½ tsp. dried) thyme
½ pound cooked rigatoni
Salt and pepper to taste
Dice onion and garlic. Sauté with olive oil in medium-sized pot over medium heat. To get the most flavor from the vegetables you’re using, make sure they soften, but don’t brown.
Add the olives and the red pepper. Then let cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the fennel and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add wine then the tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes as you add them to the pot, which will give you a sauce and still leave bite-sized pieces for the finished dish.
Add the thyme, salt and pepper then cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the flavors meld. (If you are using the whole sprigs of thyme, you can remove them at this point.) Finish by folding in the rigatoni and spinach or arugula. Makes 3 to 4 servings.
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