Sweet Fennel Paste Recipes

FENNEL PASTA

Steps:

• Heat up a heavy bottomed pan on a medium-high heat. Trim fennel and cut it into 8 wedges lengthwise. Brush the wedges of fennel and unpeeled garlic cloves with a small amount of olive oil. Place on a hot pan and let fennel caramelise and garlic cloves brown for a few minutes. After fennel is nicely browned on one side, turn it over to the other side and let the other side caramelise and soften. Turn garlic over to the other side and let it brown on the other side too.
• Once fennel is soft, take it off the pan, season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside. Peel roasted garlic cloves and put them through a garlic press or chop them into a small dice.
• Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in the same pan. Add roast garlic and chopped tomatoes and let them simmer on low heat until they soften and thicken into a sauce. Mix in some tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Season with salt, pepper, chilli and saffron to taste. Add chopped capers and olives.
• Mix in cooked pasta. Serve topped with caramelised fennel (you may want to cut the wedges into smaller pieces so it's easier to eat), toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley.

PENNE WITH SWEET POTATOES AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil together in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fennel, rosemary and sugar and cook 10 minutes, until fennel is tender and golden brown. Stir in the sweet potatoes.
• Whisk together chicken broth, milk, and flour. Gradually add to skillet and simmer 3 minutes, until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Add the pasta and stir to coat. Stir in Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper and cook until heated through, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.

RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

SWEET POTATO AND FENNEL HASH

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towel, retaining drippings in the skillet.
• Reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir onion and fennel in hot bacon drippings until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add sweet potato, place a cover on the skillet, and cook until sweet potato is tender and slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Increase heat to medium-high. Pour whiskey into the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir bacon in the vegetable mixture. Add brown sugar and stir to incorporate. Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir until the whiskey has been absorbed and the liquid is caramel-colored, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

FENNEL AND RADICCHIO SALAD WITH ANCHOVY AND EGG

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, slice fennel crosswise 1/8-inch thick. Place slices in a wide salad bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and garlic. Toss everything together, coating the fennel well. Taste for salt and adjust. (This can be done up to 30 minutes ahead.)
• Remove and discard any wilted outer leaves of radicchio. Separate tender leaves, tearing large ones into smaller pieces.
• To finish the salad, quarter the eggs. Add radicchio to the salad bowl and sprinkle very lightly with salt. Toss together radicchio and fennel, coating everything well. Garnish with quartered eggs. (Yolks should have a moist center.) Top eggs with the anchovy fillets.

SWEET FENNEL PASTE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a blender until almost smooth.
• Store this one in the fridge.