This is a super simple snack that I whipped up, but would be a great complement to some simply baked or sautéed fish, poultry or tempeh.

I love fennel and I love that it’s good for you, as well as low in calories.  Luckily, it’s a fall/winter vegetable so it’s currently in season!  Unfortunately, my jaw has trouble with it lately in its raw form, so I can only enjoy it cooked.  This was a good way to satisfy my craving in a way that I can enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large head fennel (outer parts removed), halved, cored, cut into fourths and sliced

1 large shallot, quartered and sliced

2/3 cup vegetable broth

6 oil-cured olives (the wrinkly kind)

1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

What to do:

Heat oil with a bit of salt in a medium pan over medium heat.  Add shallot and cook for 2 minutes, until it begins to soften.

Add fennel, broth and olives.  Cover and turn heat to medium-low.  Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and the broth is reduced.  (If the broth is cooked off before the fennel is soft, add more.)

Once the vegetables are soft, squeeze juice of 1/2 lemon and add salt and pepper.  Cook an additional 2 minutes and serve immediately.

Finocchio Brasato con Olive:

Ingredienti:

2 cucchiaini olio d’oliva

1 finocchio, dimezzato, torsolo rimosso, e tagliato in quarti e affettato

1 scalogno grande, tagliato a quarti e tritato

175 ml di brodo di verdura

6 olive (quelle sgualcite)

metà di un limone

sale e pepe

Cosa fare:

Scaldate l’olio con un pò di sale in una padella media sul fuoco medio.  Aggiungete lo scalogno e fate cuocere per 2 minuti, finché cominci ad ammorbidire.

Aggiungete il finocchio, il brodo e le olive.  Coprite e abbassate un pò il fuoco.  Lasciate cuocere per 10-15 minuti, agitando ogni tanto, finché la verdura sia tenera e il brodo sia ridotto.  (Se il brodo si riduca prima della cottura, aggiungete un pò di più.)

Appena tenera la verdura, spruzzateci il limone e insaporite di sale e pepe a piacere.  Fate cuocere altri 2 minuti e servite subito.

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Related articles

• Nosh: Green and Black Olive Tapenade with Fennel (beyondpaisley.net)
• Fall Harvest: Fennel (beatcancer2010.wordpress.com)
• Mackerel in escabeche with black olives and fennel salad recipe (telegraph.co.uk)