Risotto With SautÉed Swordfish And Fennel Recipes

FENNEL & LEMON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Chop any green leafy fennel fronds and set aside. Cut off the stalk-like fennel top, remove the outer layers and finely chop both. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and chopped fennel until soft but not coloured.
• Add the rice and stir for 1 min. Pour over most of the wine and simmer until evaporated. Add 500ml of the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring between each addition until it is absorbed.
• Meanwhile, slice remaining fennel and fry in knob of butter until browned. Add remaining stock and wine and cook until tender.
• When the rice is cooked, stir in the zest, Parmesan and some seasoning. Take off the heat and set aside, covered, for 2 mins. Serve in bowls, topped with the fennel fronds and cooked fennel, stirring the prawns through if using.

SWORDFISH WITH LEMON AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife, cut the skin off the swordfish, then cut the fish into 1-inch cubes. Season fish cubes generously with salt and pepper.
• Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a heavy knife, lightly crush the fennel seeds to release their flavor.
• In a skillet large enough to hold all the fish cubes in one layer, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the fish to the pan and let cook, turning the fish and basting with the oil and butter, for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, lemon zest and chile flakes and continue to cook, stirring gently so as not to break up the fish cubes, until the fish is just cooked through, about 2 minutes longer. Gently stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt and chile flakes if desired. Garnish with fennel fronds and lemon wedges.

FENNEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Cut the base off of the fennel bulbs, and cut a cone shape into the base to remove the core. Slice the fennel vertically (lengthwise) into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Cook onions and fennel in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice; cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted. Stir in 1 cup vegetable broth; continue stirring until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Repeat this process with remaining broth, stirring constantly. Incorporating the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all.
• Stir in cream, 3 tablespoons Parmesan and parsley, and cook until rice is done and risotto is thick and creamy. Season to taste with black pepper. Divide risotto among 6 bowls, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

FENNEL RISOTTO WITH RICOTTA AND DRIED CHILLI (RISOTTO AI FINOCCHI CON RICOTTA E PEPERONCINO)

Steps:

• To me, fennel is a really tasty, classy and under-used vegetable. It works really well with the ricotta in this recipe and has a fantastic sweetness. Please don't buy the crappy ricotta that a lot of the supermarkets have - make sure it's light and crumbly and, if you're out of luck, a fresh goat's cheese is pretty damn good too.
• Put your fennel seeds into a pestle and mortar and bash up to a powder. Get a wide, hot saucepan, add a couple of splashes of olive oil and fry the garlic until softened, then add the bashed fennel seeds and sliced fennel. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and turn down to a medium-low heat. Place a lid on the pan and cook nice and slowly for around 20 minutes, until the fennel's soft and sweet.
• Start the risotto bianco as usual and continue through the recipe until the rice is half cooked. Half-way through Stage 3, stir in the sautéd fennel, then keep cooking the risotto until the rice is perfectly cooked.
• Bash up the dried chillies in the pestle and mortar until you have a fine powder. At Stage 4, when you add the butter and Parmesan, add the crumbled ricotta and lemon zest. Check the seasoning carefully and balance the flavour with as much lemon juice as you feel it needs to work with the fennel. Divide between your plates, sprinkle over your fennel tops and dust with the ground chilli. Grate over some fresh Parmesan at the table.

SHRIMP AND FENNEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Peel and devein shrimp. Halve shrimp lengthwise and in a bowl season with salt. Finely chop onion. Trim fennel stalks flush with bulb, reserving fronds and discarding stalks, and trim any discolored outer layers. Halve bulb lengthwise and discard core. Finely chop bulb. Finely chop enough reserved fronds to measure about 2 tablespoons.
• In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
• In a 2-quart heavy saucepan cook onion and fennel bulb in butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add rice and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Increase heat to moderate and add wine. Cook mixture, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup simmering broth and cook, stirring constantly and keeping at a strong simmer, until broth is absorbed. Continue cooking and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, 18 to 20 minutes total. (There will be broth left over.)
• Stir shrimp into risotto and cook, stirring constantly, until shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes. If desired, thin risotto to desired consistency with some leftover broth.
• Stir in fennel fronds if using and salt and pepper to taste and serve risotto immediately.

SAUTEED SWORDFISH WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Quarter fennel and cut awaytough base. Slice quarters thin.
• Using a small saute pan, nonstick if possible, heat one tablespoon olive oil and add the fennel, garlic and ginger. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, over moderate heat until the fennel is tender (about 10 minutes). Remove to a heated plate and keep warm.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil. Season swordfish with salt and pepper and cook on both sides until lightly browned and cooked to desired degree.
• Cut the steak in half. Place each half on an individual plate with the sauteed fennel on the side. Garnish with lemon and serve.

SWORDFISH WITH FENNEL AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute onion and fennel in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, wine, pepper and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in basil and butter. Remove from the heat and set aside., Brush steaks with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill swordfish, covered, over medium-hot heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until fish just turns opaque. Serve with tomato mixture.

RISOTTO WITH SAUTÉED SWORDFISH AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Swordfish: Cut fish into quarters and then half lengthwise. Pound each to even out size. Season throughout with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat until just before smoking. Include single tablespoon of butter. After foaming has subsided sauté swordfish until browned and cooked through. Be careful not to crowd the pan. Once finished transfer to paper towel to drain excess oil and set aside. Cut into smaller strips once cool enough to handle. You want these to be about half of a typical bite size. Risotto: Heat remaining 3 tablespoons of oil until just before smoking. Include butter and wait for the foam to subside. Add onions, fennel, garlic, and bell pepper. Sauté about five minutes or until the onion is cooked through and translucent. Add the rice, careful not to let it brown. Cook another five minutes so the rice can absorb any leftover oil and juice from the vegetables. Add the wine, stirring constantly until it is totally evaporated. Add the stock half a cup at a time. Waiting each time until it has been fully evaporated and absorbed into the rice. This takes about five minutes per half cup. Be sure to continue stirring throughout. Once the final half cup of stock is evaporated add the chopped blood orange and stir. Take the pan off of the heat and add the cheese, parsley, paprika, and swordfish. Mix through and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.