Oven Dried Tomatoes With Fennel Food

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.

OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 225° F.
• Cut the tomatoes in half, add fresh garlic, olive oil, basil, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread them out on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and place in the oven.
• Bake for one hour, then turn off the oven and allow the tomatoes to sit overnight in the warmth of the oven.

GEMELLI PASTA WITH FENNEL JUICE, BROCCOLI AND OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees F. Slice tops of Romas off and then cut in half lengthwise. Mix in a bowl with sugar and salt. Place on a sheet pan cut-side up and bake for 2 1/2 hours. Turn oven off and leave tomatoes inside overnight. The next day turn the oven on to 200 degrees F. and slow roast the tomatoes for 5 to 7 more hours, depending on size. The tomatoes should be shriveled, but not at all crispy. Remove from oven, let cool, and then cut into julienne strips. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Place whole garlic cloves and 1/4 cup olive oil in an aluminum foil packet and bake for 2 1/2 hours. Cloves should be very soft. Place cloves in blender or food processor and puree to a smooth paste, scraping down sides occasionally. Julienne one large head of fennel, toss with 1 tablespoon oil, a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper, and roast in oven for 2 hours.
• Dice remaining fennel, put in a saucepan, just cover with water, and simmer until very soft. Puree in a blender. Allow to cool slightly and squeeze liquids out through a cheesecloth, reserving liquid. Discard solids. Cook pasta in 2 quarts rapidly boiling salted water, drain and set aside. Heat remaining oil in a skillet, add slivered garlic and stir until golden brown. Add broccoli rabe, saute to warm it, add crushed red pepper and oregano (if using dry). Add fennel juice and reduce by half. Add roasted fennel, oven-dried tomatoes, garlic puree, and oregano (if using fresh). Stir in pasta. Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese.

OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Halve 2 pounds plum tomatoes lengthwise. Place cut-side up on a baking sheet, season with salt and let stand 20 minutes. Roast in a 250 degrees F oven until slightly dry but still juicy, about 4 hours. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme.

GRILLED FENNEL AND RED ONIONS WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• Light the grill or make a charcoal fire. Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot for cooking the pasta.
• Remove and discard the green stems and the fronds from the fennel. Remove any blemished or tough layers from the fennel bulb but do not trim a thin slice from the base (the base will help keep wedges intact). Slice the bulb crosswise from top to bottom into 1/2-inch-thick wedges.
• Peel and quarter the onions, making both cuts through the top and bottom ends on the onions. Brush the fennel wedges and red onion quarters with 2 tablespoons oil. Generously season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
• Use a stiff wire brush to scrape the hot grill clean. Grill the fennel and onions, carefully turning them once, until the vegetables are marked by dark stripes and are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Briefly cool the grilled vegetables. Cut the fennel and onions into thin strips. In a large bowl, toss the grilled vegetables with the sun-dried tomatoes as well as the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the vinegar and the basil. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust seasonings if necessary. The vegetables can be covered and set aside for up to 1 hour, if desired.
• Cook and drain the pasta. Toss the hot pasta with the grilled vegetables. Mix well and transfer portions to warm pasta bowls. Serve immediately with grated cheese passed separately.

OLIVE OIL ROASTED TOMATOES AND FENNEL WITH WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Chop enough fennel fronds to measure 1/2 cup. Trim fennel bulbs and cut in half vertically. Cut each bulb half ito 1/2-inch-wide wedges, leaving some ore attached to each wedge.
• Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add fennel wedges in single layer; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Cook until fennel begins to brown and soften, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, garlic, and crushed red pepper; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Fold together gently.
• Transfer skillet to oven. Bake fennel and tomatoes until soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Mix in beans and 6 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds. Bake 5 minutes longer to heat through. Transfer mixture to large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with remaining chopped fronds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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.

RIGATONI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO AND FENNEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a 10- to 11- inch straight sided saute pan over medium heat. Add the fennel and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel starts to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in 1 cup water and the cream, low-salt chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer briskly uncovered, until the tomatoes are plump and soft, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the Pernod if using. Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender until smooth. Wipe out the skillet, return the sauce to the skillet, season to taste with salt and keep hot.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until just barely al dente, 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain well and return to the pot. Add the sauce and toss over medium-low heat for a minute or two so the pasta finishes cooking and absorbs some of the sauce.

DRIED TOMATO AND FENNEL STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325° F.
• In a large shallow baking pan toast bread in middle of oven until just dry, 15 to 20 minutes. Trim fennel stalks flush with bulbs, reserving fronds, and discard stalks. Cut bulbs into 1/4-inch dice and chop reserved fronds. In a large skillet cook fennel bulb and fronds in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until bulb is tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• While fennel is cooking, cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch dice and in a small saucepan simmer in broth 10 minutes. In a large bowl toss together bread, fennel, tomato mixture, vinegar, herbs, and salt and pepper to taste and cool completely. (Stuffing may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding.)
• For cooking stuffing inside poultry:
• Any frozen poultry destined for stuffing should be completely thawed, and the stuffing itself brought to room temperature before it's put into the turkey. Do not stuff your bird the night before you cook it; such a seeming time-saver can have dangerous results. Instead, it is best to loosely fill the bird's neck and body cavities immediately before roasting. And always use a meat or instant-read thermometer: The meat is done when the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh (be careful not to touch the bones) reaches 180°F.; the stuffing baked inside the bird is done at 160°-165°F. After roasting, let your stuffed poultry stand 15 to 20 minutes, a double assurance that the requisite temperatures for food safety have been reached.
• For cooking all or part of stuffing outside poultry:
• In a shallow baking dish bake stuffing in preheated 325° F oven 40 minutes (for moist stuffing, bake it covered entire time; for less moist stuffing that has a slightly crisp top, uncover it after 10 minutes).

OVEN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°. Fill a large saucepan two-thirds with water; bring to a boil. Cut a shallow "X" on the bottom of each tomato. Place tomatoes, a few at a time, in boiling water just until skin at the "X" begins to loosen, about 30 seconds. Remove and immediately drop into ice water. Pull off and discard skins., Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Combine tomatoes, oil, basil, garlic, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Transfer tomatoes, cut side up, to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Roast until tomatoes are soft and slightly shriveled, about 5 hours. Cool completely; refrigerate.