Braised Carrots And Fennel Food

BRAISED FENNEL WITH CARROTS AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Cut the top off the fennel, reserving feathery leaves.
• Chop feathery leaves finely and reserve.
• Cut fennel into quarters, remove core and any tough outer layers, and slice finely.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven.
• Add garlic, fennel, carrots, onion and potato, together with ground fennel, salt and pepper.
• Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the onions and fennel are beginning to soften and turn transparent.
• Add chicken stock, wine and fennel leaves and heat until simmering.
• Lower heat, cover and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, or until carrots and potatoes are soft.
• Remove cover, increase heat and allow to boil briskly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potato is broken down into an almost'mashed' consistency, but still with a little texture- the remaining liquid should be well thickened with the potato.
• Taste and add extra seasoning if required.

HONEY-BRAISED LEG OF LAMB WITH CARROTS AND FENNEL

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the mint, rosemary and garlic. Open up the lamb flat on a baking sheet and top with some salt and pepper, about 2 tablespoons of the honey and about three-quarters of the herb-garlic mix. Roll up the lamb and tie it with butcher's twine, then top with the remaining honey and herb-garlic mix. Refrigerate, uncovered, for about 2 hours to marinate, then let the lamb come to room temperature before cooking.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Add the chicken broth, white wine, carrots, onions and fennel to a large Dutch oven, then set the lamb on top of the vegetables. Roast until the lamb registers an internal temperature of 130 degrees F (medium rare) on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours.
• Let the lamb rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to a serving platter.
• In a small bowl, use a fork to mash the butter and flour together to form a smooth paste. Place the Dutch oven with the pan juices over medium heat and bring to a simmer, then whisk in the butter and flour mixture. Bring to a boil and heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
• Slice the lamb and serve with the vegetables and pan sauce spooned over.

BRAISED CARROTS AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Slice the carrots 1/2-inch thick on an angle.
• Quarter the fennel bulbs lengthwise, cut into bulb to remove core and thinly slice, or roughly chop. Reserve 1/4 cup chopped fennel fronds.
• Halve and slice the onion. Fill a skillet with 1/4-inch water. Add vegetables then sprinkle with sugar and salt and drizzle with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Simmer covered 20 minutes, and uncovered for 5 minutes and adjust salt. Toss vegetables with fennel fronds, dill and chives.

ROASTED CARROTS & FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine carrots, fennel, onion and lemon. Mix oil, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper; drizzle over carrot mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to 2 foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pans., Roast 40-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with basil.

BRAISED LAMB SHOULDER WITH THYME, CARROTS, AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Trim fat from lamb and discard. Cut each chop lengthwise along bones into 3 separate pieces, leaving bones attached to meat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large ovenproof pot over high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to pot and sauté until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to bowl. Add onions, 2 chopped carrots, halved head of garlic, and 6 thyme sprigs to pot and sauté until onions are brown, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes and stir 2 minutes. Return lamb and any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to simmer. Cover pot tightly; transfer to oven and bake until lamb is very tender, adding up to 3/4 cup more water if juices evaporate, about 2 hours 15 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer lamb to medium bowl; discard bones. Pour vegetable mixture from pot into strainer set over large bowl. Press on solids to extract as much vegetable pulp and pan juice as possible. Return strained pulp and juice to pot. Spoon off fat from surface. Return lamb to pot; bring mixture to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced carrots, 2 thyme sprigs, fennel, and bay leaf and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, stirring often, about 35 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with sautéed vegetables.

BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut the green stalks from the top of the white fennel bulbs and cut the brown, round stump from the base. Cut fronds from stalks. Chop the fronds and set aside 2 tablespoons for serving. Cut bulbs in half 4 times, making 8 wedges out of each.
• Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add fennel wedges, flat-side down, and brown for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for about 2 minutes more. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Let wine reduce by half. Pour in chicken broth and orange juice.
• Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer until fennel is very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Plate fennel. Sprinkle with salt and garnish with orange zest and fennel fronds.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH ONIONS AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel, onion, and bell pepper and saute 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to make sure all of the veggies get a chance to be on the bottom of the pan. At this stage, you will have a little bit of caramelization, but if you see too much browning your heat is probably too high.
• Place the fennel seeds on a cutting board and gently press on them with the back of a chef's knife or rolling pin. You want to lightly break the seeds to release their flavor but not break them to bits or powder. Add broth and next four ingredients (broth through garlic).
• Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in basil and fennel fronds.

EINTOPF (BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH FENNEL, SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO)

Steps:

• Season the short ribs with a sprinkle of salt on all sides. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high. Working in batches if necessary, brown the tops and sides of short ribs, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a large plate and repeat the browning process with the remaining ribs.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the chopped fennel bulb, (reserve the top and fronds for garnish), shallots and garlic to the pot, season with salt, and toss to coat in the pan drippings. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until softened, 3 minutes. Add the fennel seeds and turmeric, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and break apart the whole pieces with a wooden spoon or other cooking utensil. Cook until the tomato juices are thickened, about 6 minutes. Return the browned short ribs, bone side up, to the pot along with any drippings from the plate. Pour in the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer. Cover and transfer pot to the oven. Braise until the meat is tender, but not falling off the bone, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Transfer the cooked short ribs to a plate. Using a colander or sieve set over a bowl, drain out the vegetable solids from the pot and discard, reserving the liquid broth. Skim off and discard as much oil as you can from the surface of the liquid using a spoon or a ladle. (You should have about 3 to 4 cups of broth.) Return the broth to the pot, add the potato and squash, and pour in the coconut milk. Season to taste with salt and the 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add the ginger and return the short ribs to the pot, nestling the pieces between the vegetables so that the meat is mostly submerged in the liquid. Return the pot to the oven and braise uncovered until the potato and squash are tender, the meat is falling off the bone, and the liquid is slightly reduced, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
• On the stovetop but off heat, stir in the greens: The heat from the stew should gently wilt the leaves. Top with the thinly sliced fennel top and fronds. Serve hot in bowls with warm crusty bread for dipping.

NO-PEEL BRAISED CARROTS

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable stock, then tip the carrots into a deep frying pan. Add the butter, sugar, fennel seeds and the hot stock. Season to taste.
• Simmer, uncovered, over a medium heat for 25-30 mins or until the carrots are cooked through and the liquid is reduced and glossy.