Braised Fennel With White Wine And Parmesan Cooks Illustrated Food

BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut off and discard stalks from fennel bulbs, reserving fronds. Chop 1 tablespoon fronds and discard remainder. Cut bulbs lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, leaving core intact.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown fennel slices well, turning over once, 3 to 4 minutes total.
• Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle fennel with salt and pepper, then add broth and water. Cook, covered, until fennel is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with fennel fronds.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F
• Rub a baking dish large enough to hold the fennel in a single layer with butter.
• Slice the fennel bulbs in half or quarters lengthwise and steam the fennel over simmering water for 10 minutes, then arrange in the dish.
• Dot with butter or drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and add the wine or water. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove the cover, baste the fennel with its juice, then add the cheese and continue baking uncovered until the fennel is completely tender, about 10 minutes more.
• Serve garnished with chopped fennel greens or parsley.

ROMAN-STYLE BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• In a 12-inch high-sided skillet, melt butter over medium. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add oil and garlic, and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add fennel, wine, lemon juice, oregano, parsley and 1½ cups of water, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high, stirring to evenly coat the fennel in the liquid. Arrange the fennel in an even layer.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium and braise until fennel is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring and flipping halfway through.
• Transfer fennel to a serving platter, and spoon over the shallots and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve warm or at room temperature.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH CRISPY PARMESAN BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• Quarter the fennel bulbs lengthways, keeping the roots intact so they don't fall apart. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium high heat and add the fennel pieces. Brown on each side until deep golden brown, three to four minutes each side.
• Once golden brown all over, lower the heat slightly and add the garlic slices. Cook, stirring, for a further one minute then add the wine and simmer until it has nearly all evaporated. Add the stock, season with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until tender. Remove the lid and continue to cook for a further five minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half.
• Meanwhile, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and, once hot, add the breadcrumb mixture. Fry, turning regularly, until golden brown all over, 4-5 mins. Transfer to a plate to cool as it will crisp up even more once it has cooled down.
• Transfer the braised fennel to a serving dish then scatter with the crispy breadcrumbs and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

PARMESAN FENNEL GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the stalks from each fennel bulb and discard. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise through the core. Remove most (but not all) of the core by cutting a V-shaped wedge, leaving the wedges intact. Cut each piece into 2, 3, or 4 wedges, depending on the size of the bulb. Arrange the wedges, cut side up, in a gratin dish just large enough to hold them snugly in a single layer. Pour the chicken stock and wine over the fennel, then sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper. Dot with the diced butter. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Remove from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine the melted butter, panko, Parmesan, parsley, zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle evenly on top and return to the oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, until the topping is browned. Serve hot or warm.
• Note: The ingredient quantities were proportionally increased for this episode.

BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180c.
• Slice fennel in halves or quarters if large.
• Arrange in a small casserole dish.
• Combine oil, garlic and white wine and pour mixture over fennel.
• Cover and bake for 25 minutes.
• Microwave Method: Cook on high for 12- 15 minutes.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH MEYER LEMON AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Trim the fennel and roughly chop 1 tablespoon of the fronds. Halve each bulb through the core, then cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough oil to coat the pan. When hot, cook half the fennel, without moving, until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining fennel, adding more oil to the pan if needed.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the fennel, broth, lemon rind and juice and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Raise the heat to high and reduce the sauce until syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Fold the sauce and reserved fronds into the fennel and top with Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the fennel in a large, shallow baking dish and pour in the chicken broth. Cover the dish with foil and bake until the fennel is very tender, about 2 hours.
• Preheat the broiler. Drain the liquid off of the fennel and place in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until reduced to a syrup consistency, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil. Season the fennel with pepper and brush with the broth mixture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and broil until browned, about 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates and serve.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Prepare the bean purée: Add the beans, 2 1/2 cups Parmesan broth, garlic, salt and white pepper to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to an active simmer and cook 20 minutes, until there is only about 1/4 inch of broth covering the beans. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and purée until smooth, creamy and spoonable. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
• Prepare the braised fennel: Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and cut each half lengthwise into 3 equal wedges. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the fennel wedges in a single layer, cut-side down. Sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook on the opposite cut side for 3 to 5 minutes. (If your fennel doesn't all fit in the pan, cook the remaining pieces with the shallots in the next step. Do not crowd the pan.) Transfer the cooked fennel to a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook the shallots on their flat side for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until they have a nice sear. Lower the heat if it starts to smoke.
• Return the fennel to the pan, season with kosher salt, sage and red-pepper flakes. Add 1 cup Parmesan broth, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan, until the vegetables are just tender but cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
• Divide the bean purée among shallow bowls, spreading it in an even layer, and season with another crack of white pepper. Top with braised vegetables and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with tender fennel fronds and serve.

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.