On a cold night, nothing is a better accompaniment to the main dish than a roasted vegetable.  And a vegetable that makes frequent appearances on our plates in the wintertime is fennel.  Roasting softens the anise flavor of the fennel, and brings out a rich, buttery taste that makes this crunchy, fresh-tasting vegetable into a comfort food.  This is wonderful with any meat or as part of a vegetarian meal.

Roasted Fennel

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 fennel bulbs
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position one of the racks in the lower third of the oven.

Wash and trim the fennel bulbs, (you can save the stalks and fronds for soup…) and slice the bulbs in half and then again into slices.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place the fennel slices on the baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil.  Turn the slices to lightly coat them with the oil.  Sprinkle the slices with the salt and the pepper.  Place on the lower rack in the oven and cook for 15 minutes or until they are beginning to lightly caramelize on the bottom.   Turn the slices and cook for another 15 minutes to caramelize the other side.  Serve immediately or it can stand for 10 minutes or so while you get the rest of dinner ready.

Fennel is one of my very favorite vegetables. Also called Anise, it is fresh tasting and great to eat raw or cooked. It pairs really well with any meat, but is particularly good with pork. This is one of my favorite preparations. I first had a version of this on a Christmas Eve—prepared by the French (and wonderful cook) daughter-in-law of our hosts and neighbors. She kindly gave me her recipe (and a dish to cook it in) and I have made it so many times, I’ve lost count. I’ve adapted the original a little bit as we all do when we quit referring to the paper and start doing things on our own. But when I made it this time, I paid attention to what I was doing and wrote down the quantities. So here is the version that I now make. I usually serve it with pork tenderloin or pork chops and a green salad.

Braised Fennel

Serves 8

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

4 fennel bulbs, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4” slices
5 tablespoons of butter, divided
3 tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs (or other dried crumbs may be used)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter and sauté the fennel until soft and lightly browned. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the fennel to a 9 x 13 rectangular or oval baking dish. In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and add the lemon juice to it. In a small bowl combine the Parmesan cheese and the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the fennel and then drizzle the butter mixture over all. Heat in the oven for 20 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned.