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Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

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Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Mon May 07, 2018 11:43 pm

I am a grand fan of fresh fennel bulb and here are just a few ways in which I prepare it .. What are some of your ideas ? :thumbsup :thumbsup

1) Fennel Salads
2) Fennel Slaw
3) Grilled fennel with fresh lemon and Parmigiano aged two years
4) Radish, Cucumber and Fennel with minced spearmint herb
5) Rocket, Radicchio, fennel, apple slices, and walnuts
6) Grapefruit, fennel and pistachios on a bed of tri color greens
7) Roasted fennel in oven
8) Fennel Frond Pesto for crudities
9) Blood orange, fennel, and celery salad
10 ) Cream of Fennel Soup served chilled ( I use crême Fraîche or Ricotta )

Have a lovely lovely evening .. :wave :wave
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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Renée » Tue May 08, 2018 9:49 am

I feel embarrassed now, Alexandria, because I have only used fennel when slow-cooking pork.

Thank you for those great ideas and I promise that I will be more adventurous in the future. There are quite a few that I would love to try and fennel is widely available here.

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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Tue May 08, 2018 10:06 am

Renée, Good Morning, :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup


Fennel is extraordinarily healthy for starters and pairs wonderfully in a wide variety of salads and classic Italian dishes .. :clap :clap

I am pleased to hear, that you shall give a few of these a try ..

All my best for a lovely lovely day .. :wave :wave
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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Joanbunting » Tue May 08, 2018 11:26 am

Another fennel lover here.

Fennel and orange salad for me too but my absolute favourite is Parmesan fennel.
Halve or quarter the fennel depending on size and parboil is salted water. Drain and toss in lots of better and grated Parmesan. Put into a gratin dish and into a hot oven until it is all hot, bubbling and delicious.
Perfect accompaniment to fish.

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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue May 08, 2018 12:00 pm

Same as Joan thoough I sometimes cheat for a small amount and microwave the fennel in the gratin dish rather than parboiling for a small amount

Also in some fish stew recipes

I made a very nice light fennnel based soup that also contained a tiny amount of fennel seed recently, I'm sure it was a Valerie Bertinelli recipe but I can't currently track it down.....

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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Wed May 09, 2018 8:41 am

Joan & Sue, :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup


Thank you for your feedback ..


Joan: :thumbsup :thumbsup

Yes, I am a grand fan of Fennel and love it with Parmigiano aged grated cheese .. Yes, I have par boiled it too and used French butter and then oven to "au gratin" ..


It is a fave veggie of mine so when home, I prepare it in alot of different salads as well .. My fave way of enjoying it ..



Have a lovely day ladies. :wave :wave
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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Wed May 09, 2018 9:26 am

I've been completely unable to track down Valerie Bertinelli's Pea and Fennel soup, I'm sure it was on Food Network, but currently they only have Ina Garten's version, I think Valerie's was a bit lighter and certainly involved a small amount of ground fennel seed
Here's Ina's
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pea-and-fennel-soup-3190185

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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Wed May 09, 2018 3:56 pm

Sue,

Thank you for the link ..

I will look at it when I return to Barcelona on Sunday ..


Have a nice day ..

I am in Madrid at a Food & Wine Convention .. :wave
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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby strictlysalsaclare » Thu May 10, 2018 8:47 am

I don;t prepare fennel that much because it's not the easiest thing to get hold of around here. However, on the one occasion I did manage to get hold of some, it was during the winter months so I made a parsnip and fennel soup with it. As it was so close to Christmas I used some ham stock and added some thickly diced ham to it of offset the sweetness. I was inspired after having a bowl of parsnip and fennel soup when we had a meal in the Northallerton branch of Betty's Tearooms (a famous chain based in Yorkshire) with my late Nanna- in Law. It was so delicious I basically foodgasmed over it.

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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Thu May 10, 2018 10:42 am

Strictly, :thumbsup :thumbsup

Sounds wonderful ..

I love fennel gazpacho ( Gazpacho is a Word used for cold soups; not only the classic Spanish Málaga Tomato) and parsnip soup combined with carrot ..

Have never tried this combination of fennel and parsnip ..

However, shall do when in season here ..

Thank you for your feedback ..

Have a lovely day ..

I prepare a Fennel soup with orange zest and crème fraîche and croutons ( home made from scratch ): :D :D

1 Small leek white and pale green parts only halved and thinly sliced
3 small garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsps. fennel seeds
5 tablsps. Evoo ( I use French Provençal for this recipe )
1 Medium sized fennel bulb with fronds ( boil in wáter just to cover with a pinch of salt to taste )
1 Medium sized peeled potato ( to thicken )
1 tsp. grated orange peel ( garnish on top )
1 Baguette sliced into one inch cubes ( Croutons )
Water to boil the veggies
Cremè Fraîche ( 2 dollops or tablespoons heaping )

I oven roast the leek, garlic, fennel seeds ..

Very lovely ..

Have a nice day .. :wave :wave
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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu May 10, 2018 11:59 pm

Tonight I had the Tuscan pizza at Red Lion N16
Nice thin base, a touch of marinara just to hold it all together, lots of fennel seed flavoured Italian sausage, nice chunks of mozzarella and thinly sliced bulb fennel

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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Fri May 11, 2018 8:40 am

Sue,

I have never seen fennel on a pizza ..

Glad you enjoyed it ..

Have a nice weekend ..

Thank you for your feedback ..
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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri May 11, 2018 12:00 pm

Fennel on pizza was news to me too

But definitely good, the quick blast of heat in a proper pizza oven meant it was definitelt cooked to tender but not too soft

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Re: Fresh Fennel Bulb: What do your prepare ?

Postby Alexandria » Sat May 12, 2018 12:17 pm

Sue,

Thank you for your feedback .. :thumbsup

I like my fennel tender however, with a light crunch (not too soft or mushy or pureed ) ..

Perhaps next time I am in Italy I shall see if it is on one of the pizza cartes ..

I sometimes make home made pizza, but only in the autumn or winter ..

I am never home long enough during the high tourist season ..

Have a nice weekend .. :wave :wave
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.

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