Braised Fennel With Sausage Food

BRAISED FENNEL WITH BUTTER AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas 3.
• Melt the butter in a casserole dish over a low heat. Place the fennel into the butter cut-side down, and scatter around the trimmings. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and increase the heat.
• Add the vermouth and pastis. Cover with a sheet of foil loosely pressed down on the vegetables, and put the lid on top. Place into the oven to cook for 30 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven and turn over the fennel. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until very tender when poked with a small, sharp knife.
• Preheat the grill to high.
• Remove the fennel from the dish. Place in a warmed shallow oven-proof dish cut-side up, cover with foil and place in the oven while you make the sauce.
• Pour the trimmings and cooking juices through a fine sieve suspended over a small pan. Warm through and add 45g/1½oz of the parmesan. Blend with a hand blender until smooth and creamy (about the consistency of pouring cream).
• Pour the mixture over the fennel and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Place under the grill and cook until the surface is pale golden-brown and slightly bubbling around the edges.
• Serve with extra parmesan for sprinkling over.

BRAISED GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATOES AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Wash and trim green beans, set aside
• In a large oven safe skillet heat oil. Add onion and garlic, sauté until fragrant (2 mins)
• Add in sausage crumbled, season with salt, pepper, fennel seeds and paprika. Sauté for about 5-6 mins or until fully cooked and browned.
• Toss in green beans. Add tomato sauce and give it a quick stir. Make sure the green beans are mostly submerged in sauce.
• Cover and transfer to a pre-heated oven at 350F degreens and braise for 30 minutes.
• When done feel free to add a generous dizzle of olive oil and serve.

BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Trim stalks flush with fennel bulb and cut each bulb lengthwise into quarters, or halves, if using small bulbs.
• In a heavy saucepan large enough to hold the fennel flat in one layer, melt 1 tablespoon butter over moderate heat.
• Add fennel garlic, thyme, and toss to coat with butter.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Add wine and chicken stock.
• Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover.
• Braise for 15 to 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Stir in remaining tablespoon butter.
• Reseason with salt and pepper, to taste.

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.

BRAISED CABBAGE STUFFED WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL

Steps:

• FOR THE SAUCE
• In a food processor, purée the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic to a coarse paste.
• Coat a large wide pan with olive oil and add the pancetta; bring to medium heat and cook until brown and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the puréed veggies, ground fennel seeds, and red pepper and cook until the vegetables become soft and aromatic and start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the wine, bring to a boil (BTB), and reduce by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and bay leaves and season with salt. Bring to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS); cook for 15 minutes. Taste to make sure it's delicious; adjust the seasoning as needed.
• FOR THE CABBAGE AND STUFFING
• Add the vinegar to large pot of well-salted water, bring it to a boil (BTB), and set up a large bowl of well-salted ice water. Add the cabbage to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender; immediately plunge it into the salty ice water. When the leaves are cool, remove them from the water and pat dry. Reserve.
• Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the onion, fennel, and red pepper and season with salt. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the vegetables until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the sausage, bread crumbs, Parm, chicken livers (if using), and egg. Season with salt, add 1/2 cup water, and mix well to combine; if the mixture seems too dry, add up to another 1/2 cup water-it should be kind of wet. Stir in the onion-fennel mixture.
• Make a 1- to 2-inch tester patty. In a small sauté pan, heat a bit of oil and cook the patty. When it's cool enough, taste it to make sure it's delicious-if it's not, reseason.
• Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat work surface. Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into each leaf. Fold the outside edges in and roll the leaf around the stuffing. Place each roll on the work surface with the seam side down so the roll will hold itself shut. Look at us, always thinking!
• Add the cabbage rolls to the sauce, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the cabbage rolls with the sauce spooned over them.

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 SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the onion and sausage, crumbling the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Push the sausage and onion to the sides of the pan to create a clear spot in the center, and plop in the tomato paste. Let the tomato paste toast for a minute or two, then stir it into the vegetables. Toss in the fennel, and season with the salt and peperoncino. Lower the heat, cover the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, and increase the heat to cook away any excess liquid in the pan, if necessary.