Fennel With Provencal Tomato Food

TOMATO AND FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Toss 2 pounds tomatoes (cut into wedges), 2 thinly sliced fennel bulbs and 1/2 thinly sliced red onion with 1/3 cup olive oil and 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and a generous amount of pepper. Let sit at least 30 minutes. Toss with 1 cup fresh parsley and 1/2 cup fennel fronds before serving.

COD WITH TOMATO-FENNEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, fennel and a pinch each of salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic, oregano, olives and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Generously season the cod with salt and pepper and nestle in the sauce. Cover and cook until the fish is mostly cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the fish finish cooking in the sauce, about 3 more minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush the ciabatta with olive oil and broil until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Rub with the smashed garlic.
• Divide the sauce and fish among shallow bowls; drizzle with olive oil. Top with fennel fronds and serve with the ciabatta.

ROASTED FENNEL WITH TOMATOES

Steps:

• Core and thinly slice 2 fennel bulbs; chop some of the fronds. Peel the cloves from 1 garlic bulb and toss with the fennel and fronds, 1 quartered lemon, 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon each salt and sugar on a baking sheet. Roast in a 500 degrees F oven until golden, about 20 minutes. Toss in 1 pint grape tomatoes; roast until the tomatoes burst, 7 more minutes.

FENNEL PROVENCAL

Steps:

• Fry the onions and garlic gently in the olive oil in a large saucepan.
• Add the chopped fennel and cook for approximately five minutes.
• Add the white wine, simmer for ten minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and the herbs.
• Cover the pot and simmer for fifteen minutes.
• Remove lid and simmer further uncovered to thicken sauce if preferred.
• Just prior to serving add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• May be served cold.

ROASTED FENNEL WITH TOMATOES (ITALIAN STYLE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375F.

PROVENCAL TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the cores from the tomatoes, removing as little as possible. Cut them in half crosswise and, with your fingers, remove the seeds and juice. Place the tomato halves in a baking dish.
• In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, scallions, basil, parsley, garlic, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle the tomato halves generously with salt and pepper. With your hands, fill the cavities and cover the tops of the tomatoes with the bread crumb mixture. Bake the tomatoes for 15 minutes, or until they're tender. Sprinkle with the cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 30 seconds more. Serve hot or at room temperature.

TOMATO FENNEL SALAD

Steps:

• Core the tomatoes and cut into wedges. Remove the top of the fennel (save some fronds for garnish) and slice the bulb very thinly crosswise with a knife or on a mandoline.
• Toss the tomatoes and fennel in a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, season to taste, and serve.

ROASTED TOMATO AND FENNEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss together fennel, tomatoes, wine, oil, thyme, and pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Bake, tossing occasionally, until fennel softens and pan juices thicken, 35 to 40 minutes.

ROASTED FENNEL WITH TOMATOES, OLIVES & POTATOES

Steps:

• Boil potatoes until tender, about 8 mins.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Halve and quarter the fennel through the root, then trim off the hard core. Slice the fennel and tip into a roasting tin with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss the fennel in the oil until it is glistening. Roast for 20-25 mins, until starting to soften.
• Add tomatoes, olives and potatoes and stir well. Return to the oven for 10-15 mins until the fennel is tender, with a bit of crunch. Tip into a warm dish to serve.

FENNEL & TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the fennel, cover and stew over a low heat for 15 mins. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 10-20 mins until the fennel is soft (the timing depends on how thick the fennel is). Add the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins until the fennel is coated in a thick tomato sauce. Tip everything into a shallow gratin dish. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• While the fennel is cooking, tip all the topping ingredients except the olives into a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Add the olives and pulse until chopped, but not blended. Scatter the crumbs generously over the fennel, drizzle with the rest of the oil, then bake for 20 mins until golden.

BRAISED FISH WITH FENNEL, TOMATOES AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine first 5 ingredients in metal baking pan. Season fish with salt and pepper; place atop vegetables. Cover with foil. Bake until fish is just cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Using spatula, transfer fish to plate; cover with foil and keep warm. Place baking pan with vegetables atop stovetop burner; bring to boil. Boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Mix in lemon juice, oil and 1 tablespoon basil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place one fish fillet on each of 4 plates. Top with vegetable mixture, dividing equally. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil and olives.

FENNEL WITH PROVENCAL TOMATO

Steps:

• Wash and cut up all your vegetables first.
• Heat up the olive oil in the pan, and slowly start adding in the pieces of fennel. When they have cooked for a while and taken up the aroma of the olive oil, pour in the vegetable juice, cook on high (or at least that is what I did, because I wanted to get rid of the liquid and make the sauce thicken).
• After about 10 to 15 minutes, add in the tomatoes. After another 5 minutes, add salt, pepper and garlic to taste (you could also put in fresh garlic, but I didn't have any -- or leave it out).
• I left the fennel cooking until firstly, the liquid had reduced nicely and secondly, the fennel was cooked through. I think it took about 3o minutes. But it doesn't have to be that long because you can eat all the ingredients raw anyway!
• Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, server aussitôt (serve away).
• As a main dish, I guess you could serve it with rice or noodles or potatoes -- I just ate it like that. As a side dish, it could accompany fish or chicken or anything that rocks your boat. Is still very nice the second day, reheated or cold. And low in fat.