Fennel Herb Stuffing Food

SAUSAGE AND HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Place the bread cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake for 7 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the bread cubes to a very large bowl.
• Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt the butter and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, salt and pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened. Add to the bread cubes.
• In the same saute pan, cook the sausage over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until browned and cooked through, breaking up the sausage with a fork while cooking. Add to the bread cubes and vegetables.
• Add the chicken stock and cranberries to the mixture, mix well, and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, until browned on top and hot in the middle. Serve warm.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle bottom of shallow roasting pan or baking sheet with about half the olive oil and cover it with a layer of the fennel. Overlap pieces if necessary but use whole pan. Drizzle remaining oil over fennel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut up chicken if necessary and sprinkle the pieces with salt and pepper.
• Top fennel with the chicken parts, skin side up. Ideally, you'll have a layer of fennel pretty much covered by a layer of chicken, but it's fine if some of the fennel roasts uncovered. Spoon some of the oil from bottom of pan over chicken. If there is not enough, drizzle additional olive oil over the chicken. Roast about 15 minutes, then baste chicken with pan drippings and rotate the pan. If necessary, adjust oven temperature so chicken browns but does not burn.
• The chicken will be done in about 30 minutes. Serve each piece with some fennel and a little of the pan juices spooned over, garnished with parsley and a lemon wedge.

CLASSIC HERB AND FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 250°F. Arrange bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, tossing occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl. Increase oven temperature to 350°F.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook onions, fennel, and celery, stirring often, until softened but not yet browned, 8-10 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring, until almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute. Add butter and cook, stirring, until melted, about 3 minutes. Scrape vegetable mixture over bread in bowl and mix in parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Whisk eggs and broth in a medium bowl to combine. Pour over bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly coated. Divide between two 8x8" baking dishes (you can also put it all in a 13x9" baking dish if you prefer) and pack stuffing down. Cover with foil and bake until you can see some bubbles around the edges of the dishes, 30-35 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Uncover stuffing and bake until top is golden brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
• Bread can be baked 2 days ahead; store airtight at room temperature. Stuffing can be assembled 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before baking.

TOMATO-AND-FENNEL-STUFFED SALMON WITH BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Make fish:
• Put oven racks in middle and lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Toss tomatoes in a bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan and reserve bowl (do not wipe clean).
• Quarter fennel lengthwise, then slice 1/8 inch thick with slicer. Toss fennel in reserved bowl with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining teaspoon herbes de Provence, then spread out in a 17- by 12-inch heavy shallow baking pan.
• Roast fennel in lower third of oven and tomatoes in middle of oven, stirring fennel halfway through roasting, until fennel begins to caramelize and tomatoes are browned lightly on edges (but are still juicy) and their juices have accumulated in bottom of pan, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Remove from oven. If there are no tomato juices in pan, gently press on tomatoes to extract enough juice to measure 2 tablespoons (leave juices in pan). Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
• Line a 17- by 12-inch shallow baking pan with heavy-duty foil and coat foil with 1 tablespoon oil. Position salmon diagonally in roasting pan, then open fish. Sprinkle inside of fish with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then coat with 1 tablespoon oil. Arrange roasted tomatoes evenly inside fish on bottom half (with head and tail attached), reserving juices in pan (for sauce). Top tomatoes with roasted fennel, then pour wine over vegetables and close fish (like a book) to enclose stuffing (stuffing will not be completely covered). Secure opening with several wooden picks, then rub top of fish with remaining tablespoon oil. If head and tail hang over edge of pan, put a baseball-size ball of foil under head and a golf-ball-size ball of foil under tail to prop them up so that juices run into pan (head and tail will curve upward slightly).
• Roast salmon in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through (thickest part will be opaque), about 25 minutes.
• Make sauce while fish roasts:
• Combine saffron and hot water in a small cup and let stand 1 minute. Blend together saffron mixture, remaining sauce ingredients, and 2 tablespoons reserved tomato juices in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered, until ready to use.
• To serve:
• Slide whole fish (still on foil) onto a platter. To remove foil, lift head end of fish slightly with a long or wide spatula and push foil toward middle of fish. Lower head end back onto platter and lift tail end in same manner to gently remove foil completely. Serve fish with sauce on the side.

ROASTED TURKEY BREAST WITH FENNEL-HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add fennel; cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the bread, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and 1 1/4 cups stock. Season with salt and pepper. Set stuffing aside.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the turkey, skin side down, on a clean work surface. Using a sharp knife, remove the tenderloins. To butterfly the turkey, slice vertically through the right side of breast, starting at thickest part and slicing almost to edge without cutting through (it should resemble a book, with a flap in the middle). Spread open, keeping both sides attached, and gently press down to flatten. Repeat on left side of breast. Cover with plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet or heavy skillet, pound meat until thickness is uniform.
• Season turkey with salt and pepper, then spread stuffing lengthwise down middle. Fold both sides of turkey over stuffing. Using kitchen twine, tie turkey at 1-inch intervals to completely encase stuffing and form a long cylinder.
• Transfer the turkey to a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup stock into pan. Brush turkey with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes, until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of the turkey registers 165 degrees, about 1 3/4 hours. If the skin begins to get too dark, loosely tent pan with foil (add remaining 1 cup stock if pan gets too dry). Transfer the turkey to a carving board, and let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Garnish with rosemary sprigs and orange slices, if desired. Serve hot or at room temperature.

FENNEL & HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• For the stuffing, toast the bread cubes in a shallow baking dish at 400 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes or until light brown.
• Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
• Add the sausage and cook until brown and crumbly, stirring frequently.
• Add the fennel, onion, and fennel seeds.
• Cook for 10 minutes or until fennel and onion are tender, stirring frequently.
• Add the bell peppers, thyme, marjoram and sage.
• Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender, stirring frequently.
• Stir in the wine.
• Cook until reduced by three-fourths.
• Add with stock and 1/4 cup olive oil to the bread crumbs in a large bowl and mix well.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon evenly into a buttered 7 1/2 x 11-inch baking pan.
• Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Bake, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes or until golden brown.

FRESH FENNEL STUFFING FOR POULTRY, MEAT OR FISH

Steps:

• Remove the top 1/3 of the feathery fennel leaves, slice it in two top to bottom and remove the center core.
• Slice the bulb crosswise (including leaves) 1/2 inch slices.
• Heat 2 tbs of olive oil over medium high heat.
• Add the fennel, onions, parsley, sage, thyme salt & pepper.
• Stir fry until the fennel & onion are almost tender 8-10 minutes.
• In a large bowl mix the bread cubes with the fennel mixture.
• Pour in the chicken broth, mix well- use your hands.
• Turn it into a 2 qt oiled baking dish.
• Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp of oil on top.
• Bake in a 375°F until it begins to brown on top approx 25 minutes.
• Enjoy.

SAUSAGE STUFFING WITH FENNEL AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9-inch or another similar-sized baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a heavy 10 to 12-inch skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks until no longer pink. Transfer sausage to a large stainless steel bowl.
• Add the butter to any fat remaining in the skillet, reduce heat to medium.
• Add the leeks and cook 5-7 minutes or until leeks are tender, adjusting heat down as necessary so the butter and leeks don't burn. If they begin to brown too much, add 1-2 tablespoons water or broth.
• Add the fennel and celery and cook another 5-7 minutes or until tender adjusting the heat as necessary. If the vegetables begin to brown too much, add 1-2 tablespoons water or broth.
• Stir in 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning if using herb-seasoned stuffing cubes or 2 teaspoons if using plain. Transfer the sauteed vegetables to the bowl with the sausage.
• Pour the stuffing mix into the bowl with the sausage and vegetables and stir.
• Pour the chicken broth into the skillet and bring to a boil. Pour the broth over the sausage, stuffing mix and vegetables in the bowl and stir well.
• Cover the bowl with a large pot lid. Let stand for 10-15 minutes or until the cubes have softened and absorbed all the broth. Stir again.
• Taste for seasoning and add salt and black pepper if desired. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. (CAN BE MADE 2 DAYS AHEAD AND REFRIGERATED AT THIS POINT.)
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until heated through to 165 degrees in the center.

ROASTED FENNEL WITH LEMON STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the fennel, onions and garlic into a large bowl. Add the oil and toss to coat. Spoon the fennel mixture onto 2 rimmed baking sheets.
• Roast for 30 minutes or until the fennel mixture is lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Stir the fennel mixture, lemon zest, parsley, pine nuts and broth in a large bowl. Add the stuffing and mix lightly. Spoon the stuffing mixture into a greased 3-quart casserole. Cover the casserole.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the stuffing mixture is hot.