Seasonal Recipes with Eli: Fennel!

This week in my Maya Papaya CSA order I received bulbs of fennel. The flavor of fennel is similar to anise, or for you young folks think Jagermeister. Although I'm not a big fan of its licorice flavor, I wanted the challenge of preparing it in a dish I could enjoy. I read that roasting fennel lessened the licorice flavor, while bringing out more sweetness. The recipe I chose was "Roasted Fennel with Parmesan" from Giada de Lorentis. I paired it with rice and "Baked Salmon with Garlic and Dijon" (recipe mentioned at the end).

Roasted Fennel and Parmasean 

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
4 fennel bulbs, cut horizontally into 1/3-inch thick slices, fronds reserved
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange the fennel in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Chop enough fennel fronds to equal 2 teaspoons, then sprinkle over the roasted fennel and serve.

The recipe for the salmon is a winner and can be found at: https://natashaskitchen.com/baked-salmon-with-garlic-and-dijon/

Looking forward to experimenting with next weeks goodies.