Currabinny Cooks: Three ways to serve up crunchy, aniseedy fennel

Try it with sausages, trout or cheese

Currabinny Cooks July 3rd. Sausage with Fennel and Apple Salad. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan

Many Italians like to end a big meal with sliced raw fennel, also known as sweet anise, convinced that this crisp vegetable aids their digestion. We love its clean liquorice-like flavour and crunchy texture. There are some who do not enjoy these particular qualities, finding the fennel too overpowering or distracting. Like with any strong or unique flavoured ingredient, fennel just needs to be balanced out by pairing it with the right things on a plate. 

One of our favourite ways of eating fennel is raw. We find its texture and flavour are at their most savoury, clean and fresh when used this way. When using raw fennel, it’s important to slice it thinly. Large chunks of fennel can be fibrous, so we like to cut the bulbs lengthwise into slender slivers or crosswise into thin half-moons. 

Fennel will dry a bit after cutting, so if you need to cut it ahead, keep the slices wrapped in damp kitchen towels. The core is perfectly edible, and you can leave it if you like, but it can be a bit tough if the fennel is more mature.

Always keep the fronds if there are any, they make for a beautiful garnish.

Fennel is so versatile, it lends itself to almost any cooking method. It’s delicious roasted at high temperatures, which turn the edges brown and crisp, or slowly sautéed in a bit of olive oil. In the colder months, few things beat braised fennel. We slowly braise thick wedges with butter, sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a little water, and the results are luxurious: smooth and creamy with a pronounced sweetness. 

Now that the sun is shining, we like to keep our fennel with some crunch and freshness. This doesn’t mean it always gets used raw, charring it on a griddle or barbeque for a couple of minutes wiill give it a smokey charm without softening its texture.

At the market, look for large, plump, rounded bulbs. Some bulbs, depending on the variety and how they’re grown, are flat and elongated. These tend to be tougher and not as sweet, so don’t buy them if you don’t have to. 

The bulb part should be largely white or pale green, with as few blemishes as possible. Fresh bulbs should look moist. If the outer layer of the bulb appears dry, tough, or discoloured, the fennel has been out of the ground for a while and will not be at its freshest. The leafy dill-like fronds are another indication of freshness: they should be perky and upright, not limp.

Try to use fennel within two to three days of buying. It gradually loses moisture after harvest and becomes spongy and dry. Store it loosely wrapped in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer.

Charred fennel with green beans and shaved parmesan

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Vibrant green beans are in season and pair beautifully with charred fennel with a deliciously crunchy texture

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 150g fine green beans, topped and tailed

• 1 head of fennel with fronds

• sea salt

• black pepper

• juice of one lemon

• 1 small garlic clove, crushed

• ½ tsp Dijon mustard

• 80ml extra virgin olive oil

• a little butter

• 80g Parmesan

Method

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, crushed garlic and olive oil in a small bowl until emulsified. Remove the fennel fronds from the bulb, just the delicate herby parts, and stir into the dressing. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

2. Trim the stalks from the top of the fennel and cut off the very end of the bulb. Cut or pull away any discoloured or dried outside bits on the bulb. Slice the bulb downwards from top to bottom into slices around the thickness of a pound coin.

3. Cook the green beans for around 2 minutes in boiling salted water and then drain and then put in a bowl with a little butter and a pinch of salt.

4. Heat a frying pan or griddle/grill pan on a medium high heat until good and hot. Brush a little oil on each side of the slices of fennel and season with sea salt and black pepper. Place on the hot griddle (cook in batches if your pan isn’t big enough) and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. You want the ends of the fennel slices to start to char before flipping over and cooking for another 3-4 minutes on the other side.

5. Assemble the beans between two serving plates and place the charred fennel on top. Drizzle the dressing all over and shave a little parmesan all over. If you have any reserved fennel herb left, use as garnish.

Toulouse sausages with apple and fennel slaw

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

This light fennel and sour apple slaw is the perfect accompaniment to traditional Toulouse sausages which are all pork, and are minced by hand rather than ground

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Starter

Cuisine

 French

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 good sized Toulouse Sausages

• 1 fennel bulb, fronds reserved, trimmed and thinly sliced

• 1 apple, cored and very thinly sliced

• zest and juice of 2 limes

• handful of coriander, chopped

• sea salt

• ½ red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Toss the sliced fennel, fronds, apple slices, lime zest and juice, finely chopped chilli, and half the chopped coriander in a bowl. Add the oil to coat and season with a good pinch of sea salt.

2. Grill, barbeque or pan fry the Toulouse sausages on a medium high heat. You want them nice and crispy, brown and charred in the places on the outside. Arrange on a serving platter or between two serving plates and add a good amount of the tossed fennel and apple salad on the side. Simple and easy summer dinner.

Hot smoked trout with preserved lemon yoghurt and fennel

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

Hot smoking trout gives it a rich, firm texture and makes it a great addition to this light, zingy salad

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 15 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 200g of good quality yoghurt

• peel from half a preserved lemon, finely diced

• 2 tbsp capers

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt

• 1 fennel bulb

• juice of half a lemon

• 100g hot smoked or barbecued trout

Method

1. Stir the chopped preserve lemon into the yoghurt along with the capers, a good pinch of sea salt and a little black pepper. Spread the flavoured yoghurt between two serving plates and drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil all over.

2. Trim and slice the fennel, reserving any herby fronds. You want the fennel sliced very thinly into small shavings. Place in a bowl with a pinch of sea salt and the juice of half a lemon.

3. Leave to marinate for a couple of minutes before placing on the yoghurt. Flake the hot smoked salmon and arrange on the plate in and amongst the fennel. Finally garnish with reserved fennel herb.