Roasted Potato Salad with Shaved Fennel and Salsa Verde

(recipe from finecooking.com)

2 lb. small red-skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, washed and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced chives
3 Tbsp. drained, rinsed, and chopped capers
2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme (I used a smaller amount of dried thyme)
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium-small fennel bulb

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450F.  Spread the potatoes on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with 1 tsp. salt and several grinds of pepper, and roll them around to evenly coat them with the oil.  Spread the potatoes in a single layer, preferably with a cut side down.  Roast until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 20 to 30 minutes.  The potatoes should be browned on the sides touching the pan.  Loosen the potatoes from the pan with a thin spatula and transfer them to a large serving bowl.

While the potatoes are roasting, in a medium bowl, stir the parsley, olive oil, chives, capers, orange juice, vinegar, orange zest, thyme, shallot, and garlic to make the salsa verde.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut off the top and the bottom of the fennel.  Cut the fennel bulb in half from top to bottom, and again into quarters - remove the cores.  Lay each quarter on its cut surface and then slice crosswise as thinly as possible.

Add the salsa verde and shaved fennel to the bowl of roasted potatoes - they can be added while potatoes are still warm, or at room temperature.  Toss well, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Pear and Fennel Salad

(recipe from Ottolenghi.co.uk)

3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 large fennel bulb, cut in half lengthways, then each half cut widthways into 2mm slices
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tsp. maple syrup
Salt and black pepper
10g picked dill
75g arugula
3 medium ripe pears, peeled, quartered lengthways, cored and cut into 0.5cm wedges
60g pecorino, thinly shaved (I omitted this)

Mix the lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl.  Add the fennel and leave to soften for about 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Put the oil, caraway, maple syrup, 1/4-tsp. salt, and some black pepper into a small bowl.  Strain in the lemon and vinegar from the fennel bowl and stir well.

Add the dill, arugula, pear and pecorino to the fennel bowl, pour on the dressing, toss lightly and serve.

(A tasty and distinctive salad!  Be sure to cut the ingredients into desired pieces - I found the pear wedges to be tedious, and ended up cutting them smaller.)

Bean Salad with Fresh Salmon and Dill

(recipe from Food & Wine magazine)

1 1/2 cups dried cannellini beans (10 ounces), soaked overnight and drained
1 small onion, halved
1 carrot, halved
4 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
2 bay leaves
1 medium fennel bulb, finely diced, stalks, core and fronds reserved
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup good fruity olive oil
Two 8-oz. skinless salmon fillets

Place the beans in a large pot.  Add 2 quarts of water and the onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaves and the reserved fennel stalks and core.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.  Season the beans with salt and pepper during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Drain the beans and discard all the cooked vegetables.  Coarsely chop the fennel fronds.  Transfer the beans to a large serving platter and, while still warm, add the dill, diced fennel bulb, fennel fronds and all but 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper, add the fish to the skillet and cook over moderate heat on 1 side until brown and crusty, about 3 minutes.  Gently flip the salmon and cook on the other side until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Transfer the salmon to a plate to cool slightly.  Break the salmon into large flakes and toss gently with the beans.  Serve the salad warm or at room temperature.

(A nice hearty salad with great flavor.  Beware of overcooking the beans - check that they're not turning too mushy.  I cooked mine an hour and they were a bit overdone.  Also, I'm not a fan of throwing out the onions and carrots and garlic - perhaps may be nice to chop them a bit and keep them in the salad?  Might give it a try next time...  I did not use so much olive oil - can add to your liking.  Also, instead of fresh salmon, I added the thick smoked salmon to mine, which tasted nice.)

Kabocha Squash, Fennel, + Ginger Soup with Spicy Coconut Cream

(recipe from dollyandoatmeal.com)

1 kabocha squash, halved and seeded
1 large leek (or 2 small), white and light green parts sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, cored and sliced (reserve some fronds for garnish)
1 knob of fresh ginger (about 3/4 of an inch big), peeled and roughly chopped
2 tsp. fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dry)
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
5 cups filtered water (or broth)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup spicy coconut cream (recipe below)
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

spicy coconut cream:
1 can organic coconut milk
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
a couple pinches of salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

To make the coconut cream, whisk the coconut milk with the lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Taste and adjust accordingly, adding more lemon, salt or cayenne. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Rub a good amount of olive oil over cut side of squash; place cut side down on baking sheet and place in oven.  Cook squash until fork tender, about 50-65 minutes.  Let the squash cool until it's ready to handle.  Scoop squash out into a bowl and set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil and coconut oil over medium heat.  Add sliced leeks and oregano, and saute until leeks are soft; add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the fennel and ginger, and cook for about 5 minutes, until fennel is soft and ginger is fragrant.  Add the kabocha, bay leaf, water, salt, and pepper.  Stir.

Turn the heat up and bring soup to a simmer, cook for roughly 30 minutes, stirring every so often.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the spicy coconut cream.

In batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Transfer soup back to the pot and bring to a low simmer.  Stir in lemon juice and taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary.

Serve soup with a dollop of leftover spicy coconut cream, poppy seeds, or chopped fennel fronds.

(Such amazing flavor!  I used about a cup less broth, and liked the heartier consistency.  My first time using kabocha, and I thought it had an incredible depth of flavor - my favorite squash soup thus far.)

Shaved Fennel and Tuna Salad with Preserved Lemon

(recipe from food52.com)

1 large fennel bulb, shaved on a mandoline or thinly sliced
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp. preserved lemon, minced
1/4 cup olive oil-packed tuna
2 Tbsp. olive oil
A squeeze or two of lemon, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put all of the ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a large mixing bowl.  Using your hands, mix everything up until the ingredients are evenly distributed and coated with dressing.  Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if you like.

(Couldn't be easier!  Delicious, simple, and unique.)

Braised Fennel Wedges with Saffron and Tomato

(recipe from asweetspoonful.com)

2 large fennel bulbs
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fennel seeds
Pinch of saffron threads
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Finely chopped fennel stalks
Finely chopped fennel greens
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. capers
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I used water)
Salt

Trim off the stalks and greens from the fennel bulbs and chop finely.  Set aside.  If the outer leaves of the bulbs look scarred, take a slice off the base and loosen them and set them aside for another use.  Halve each bulb lengthwise and cut the halves into wedges about 1-2 inches thick.  (Leave the core intact when slicing the fennel, as it's what really holds the slices together.)

Heat the olive oil in a wide saute pan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the onion and fennel seeds, crumble in the saffron and thyme, and then cook until the onions soften and the steam releases the color from the saffron, about 7-10 minutes.  Add the fennel wedges and cook them until golden (even a little charred), turning them and the onions occasionally.  Once they are well colored, add the chopped fennel stalks and greens, garlic, stir in the tomato paste and capers, and add the stock and 1 tsp. salt.  Scrape the pan to release the juices, then cover and simmer until the fennel is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Serve over a bed of cooked grains.

(Since I'm avoiding grains, I ate this soupy mixture with an egg cooked in it to round it out.  I also just ate it as-is.  The braised fennel is tender and has a sweet, anise-y flavor.  Really unique dish.)

Carrot Fennel Potage

(I think this came from the LearnVest website... ?)

One large fennel bulb (about 1 lb.), trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
Four medium carrots (about 1 lb.), peeled, halved width-wise, and quartered
One medium Spanish onion, quartered
1 tsp. sea salt, divided
Olive oil
One medium Yukon gold potato (about 1/2 lb.), peeled and diced
3 Tbsp. Pernod or dry white wine
1 quart vegetable stock
1/4 cup fresh dill leaves

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, toss the fennel, carrots, and onion with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Divide among the baking sheets and spread in an even layer.  Roast in the oven until caramelized, about 40 minutes, swapping the pans halfway through cooking.  Note:  The vegetables can be roasted up to two days in advance.

Add the roasted veggies to a medium stockpot along with the raw potato and the remaining salt.  Pour in the wine, stock, and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup using an immersion (or regular) blender.  Add more liquid if necessary to reach your desired consistency.

Meanwhile, combine the dill and 1/4 cup of olive oil in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, adding more oil as necessary.

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the dill oil.  Garnish with some croutons or a few nuts.

(This is a thick, flavorful soup.  I'm trying to avoid too much oil, so I just blended the dill right into the soup at the end.)

Fennel, Apple, and Walnut Salad

(recipe from The Pleasures Of Cooking For One, by Judith Jones)

Fennel, about 1/3 medium bulb or 1/2 small one
1/2 tart apple
About 6 walnuts

Dressing:
1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
pinch of salt
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste
1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. olive oil, or more to taste

Remove the coarse outside rib of the fennel bulb, and trim off the stalk, saving the leaves.  Trim the root end so the bulb stands firmly, and, with a sharp knife, cut very thin slices.  If you have a mandoline, by all means use it.

Core the apple, and cut it into thin slices, leaving the peel on.

Mix together the dressing ingredients, taste, and adjust as you see fit.  Pour the dressing over the fennel and apple slices with the walnuts, broken in half, and some of the fennel leaves, chopped, and toss everything together.  Pile onto a salad plate, and top with a few more fennel leaves.

(So simple, yet amazingly good!)

Emerald City Salad

(recipe from teaandcookiesblog.com)

4 cups mixed greens (mix of dino kale, curly kale, chard), coarsely chopped.  Don't make this from one type of green, the mixture is important.
3 green onions, sliced thin
3/4 cup red pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 cup fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 cup wild rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt

Cook the rice according to directions.  Set aside to cool.

Prep the greens and other vegetables.  Toss in a large bowl, adding the wild rice when it is cool.  Drizzle with olive oil and mix.  Add the lemon juice and salt and mix again.  Serve chilled.

(Since I brought this to work for lunches, I simply mixed the veggies and rice in a large bowl and kept that in the fridge.  Then I mixed the oil, lemon juice, salt in a small jar and added the dressing to my small container of the veggie mixture at lunchtime.  Nice combination of flavors.  Dense, chewy salad with the raw kale and wild rice.  I'm not supposed to be eating grains on my cleanse, but made this exception for wild rice since it's not technically a rice, but an aquatic grass seed.  Yum!)

Roasted Fennel and Mushroom Salad with Radishes

(recipe from Cooks Illustrated magazine)

2 medium bulbs fennel (about 1 1/2 pounds), bulbs quartered, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, 1/3 cup fronds reserved and chopped
1 1/4 pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and cut into quarters if large or halved if medium
3 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 to 6 radishes, halved and sliced thin (about 3/4 cup)


Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place large rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500F.  Toss fennel and mushrooms with 2 Tbsp. oil, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and sugar in large bowl.  Remove baking sheet from oven and, working quickly, carefully transfer fennel and mushrooms to sheet and spread in even layer.  (Do not wash bowl.)  Roast until vegetables are tender and well browned on one side, 20 to 25 minutes (do not stir during roasting).

Meanwhile, whisk remaining tablespoon oil, lemon juice, mustard, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in now-empty bowl.

Toss hot vegetables with vinaigrette and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.  Stir in radishes and reserved fennel fronds, transfer to serving platter, and serve.

Serves 4.

(I found this to keep ok in the fridge for a few days.  Really interesting mix of flavors and textures.  The fennel was a nice, soft, creamy consistency after roasting.  Love the mustard dressing, really made it pop!)

Crisp Fennel and Radish Salad

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

Serves 6.

1 bunch red radishes
3 medium fennel bulbs
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Trim roots and stems from the radishes and halve them lengthwise.  Slice into thin half-circles.  Put the radishes in a medium bowl. Trim feathery fronds from fennel bulbs and reserve for garnish.  Cut bulbs in half lengthwise and then into quarters.  Remove the tough core at the base of each quarter.  Slice each quarter crosswise as thinly as possible.  Add to the radishes.

Add the lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and salt and pepper to radishes and fennel.  Garnish with reserved fronds and serve.

(A tasty and simple salad, very spare - so you really have to like fennel and radishes.  I would recommend eating this pretty soon after making it.  I kept it in the fridge and ate it for several days for lunch at work, and, though the taste was still good, the salad got a little watery over time and the radishes kind of bled their color.  There was an online comment for this recipe which suggested adding dill, which sounds, and would probably taste, really good.)

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Soup

(recipe is from a magazine, but I don't know which one)

Serves 4 to 6

4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 lbs. plum tomatoes, cored, halved lengthwise, and seeded (I used half plum, half heirloom; did not seed)
1 medium-large fennel bulb (about 1 lb.) cored and cut into medium dice (plus some chopped fennel fronds for garnish; optional)
1 medium yellow onion, cut into medium dice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt & pepper
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup milk (I used unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk)
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme


Position a rack directly under the broiler element and heat the broiler on high.  Grease a rimmed baking sheet with 1 Tbsp. of the oil ard arrange the tomatoes on the sheet, cut side down.  Drizzle 1 Tbsp. oil over the tomatoes.  Rub the oil all over the tomato skins.  Broil until the skins are very charred and shrunken, turning as necessary, 8 to 10 minutes total.  Let cool for a few minutes and then slip the skins off the tomatoes.  Discard the skins.  (Note:  I did not broil the tomatoes, I put them in the oven on the top rack and roasted them.)

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a 4- to 6- quart saucepan or pot over medium heat.  Add the fennel, onion, garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and golden, 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to release the browned bits.  Add the tomatoes and any juices from the baking sheet, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook until the fennel is very tender, about 5 minutes.

Puree the soup with a hand blender, or in 2 batches in a stand blender (if using a regular blender, return the soup to the pot).  Add the milk and thyme and heat gently over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Top each serving with chopped fennel fronds, if using.


(Made 9/4/11.  So very delicious!  I packed this for my lunches, and it kept getting better day after day as the flavors meshed.  My fennel bulb was huge with lots of stalks and fronds.  Not wanting to throw all that away, I made a fennel frond pesto with the extras:  put fennel fronds, chopped small fennel stalks, nuts (I used walnuts), garlic cloves (about 2) into the food processor and run while adding oil to the consistency you'd like.  Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Use pesto as a spread on crackers or tossed with pasta.  Yum!)

Fennel, Frisee, and Escarole Salad

(recipe from an Italian cooking magazine)

3 Tbsp. minced shallot

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. fine sea salt

1 small head escarole, torn into bite-size pieces

1 small head frisee, torn into bite-size pieces

1 small fennel bulb, quartered and thinly sliced or shaved

1/4 cup olive oil

chopped and toasted walnuts

Stir together shallot, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toss together greens and fennel in a salad bowl.

Whisk oil into shallot mixture, then toss with salad. Top with walnuts.

(This recipe was made 7/29/11 with Colleen before the Beirut concert. We drank champagne.)