Sauteed caramelized fennel

December 15, 2012 Belinda

Serves 4 to 6

4 medium-sized heads fennel
1 oz butter
1 rounded tsp granulated sugar
10 fl oz medium cider (I use the non alcoholic, non sparkling cider)
2 fl oz cider vinegar
Salt

You will need a wide saucepan with a lid., about 9 to 10 inches in diameter into which the trimmed fennel will fit snuggly.

To prepare the fennel bulbs, first cut off the leafy fronds and reserve them for a garnish.
Now trim off the green shoot by cutting diagonally to make a V- shape.
Then slice off the root part at the other end, keeping the bulb intact and remove any tough or brown layers then slice across each bulb to cut it in half

Place the fennel in a fan steamer set in a saucepan with 1 inch of boiling water under it.
Cover and steam for 10 minutes then remove them from the steamer, throw out the water, wipe the inside of the pan with kitchen paper and return it to the heat.

Next, melt the butter and sugar in the saucepan and when it starts to foam, stir it around the pan until the sugar dissolves, then add the fennel, cut side down.
Keeping the heat fairly high, brown it for about 5 minutes then turn the pieces over and brown them on the other side for another 3 minutes.

Now combine the cider, cider vinegar and a little salt and pour this into the pan, then keeping the cut side of the fennel facing upwards, cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
After that, turn the fennel over again, then continue to cook for a further 20 – 25 minutes. (this time uncovered)
Watch carefully during the last 10 minutes and test to see if it is cooked by inserting a skewer.

When the fennel is tender enough, raise the heat so that the remaining juices reduce to a glaze.
Shake the pan carefully to give an even coating of the caramel glaze.
Now transfer the whole lot to a warm serving dish with the cut surfaces upwards and scatter with the chopped fennel fronds as a garnish

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Egg based · Vegetable-related

Provencal Golden Zucchini Galette

December 4, 2012June 4, 2023 Belinda

Serves 4 – 6

Tasting this transports you immediately to the South of France, sitting outside at a large table with many bottles of Rose, great bread, salads and the sun streaming down.
I have made this recipe so many times, often for house concerts and it’s just as good hot as it is room temperature.
It works incredibly well on a buffet table and the light curry flavor is very important as it gives that certain “Je ne c’est quoi”
I have also doubled, tripled and quadrupled this recipe for large gatherings and it’s still fabulous.

1lb zucchini
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Don’t cheat and use ready grated Parmesan)
1 tsp curry powder

Preheat the oven to 375F,
Using the coarse grating blade on a food processor, coarsely grate the zucchini.
Transfer the zucchini to a colander, sprinkle with 1 tsp of the salt and let sit to drain for 30 minutes.
Rinse the zucchini under cold running water, the put a good sized mound of it on an absorbent dish towel, gather it up and squeeze the heck out of it so there is lots of juice running out. Repeat until you’ve done all the zucchini and set it aside in a bowl.
This is an important stage as the galette will be too “runny” with juice it you don’t do this and it won’t set properly.

Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly with a fork.
Add the breadcrumbs, cheese, curry powder and final tsp of salt.
Add the zucchini and stir to thoroughly coat the zucchini with the batter.
Place in a butter-greased baking dish and even out with the back of a spatula.
Place in the center of the oven and bake until golden and firm to the touch in the middle, about 30- 40 minutes.
At this point you can keep it warm in a warming drawer until ready to serve or it’s even nice at room temp.

Vegetable-related

Roasted vegetable couscous salad with harissa-style dressing

October 7, 2012 Belinda

This is a truly different and flavorful salad, actually it’s a complete meal in itself with the complex layers of flavors from the couscous to the roasted vegetables then the light sprinkling of the harissa-kissed greens on top. If you use vegetable stock it is certainly one of the best vegetarian dishes around.

Serves 4 as a main course

Roasted vegetables
1lb cherry tomatoes
1 small eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 small red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 small yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 large onion, sliced and cut into 1-inch squares
4 fat cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
small handful fresh basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper

Couscous
10 oz couscous
18 fl oz vegetable stock (or chicken stock) put on the heat to boil
4 oz firm goat cheese
salt and pepper

Salad
1 4oz bag mixed spicy greens

Dressing
4 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
1 rounded tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 heaped tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 – 3 limes)

Garnish
1 tbsp black onion seeds or ordinary onion seeds if you can’t get the black ones

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees

Ahead of time
Prepare the eggplant and zucchini ahead of time by cutting them into 1 inch dice, leaving the skins on. Toss them in about a level dessertspoon of salt and pack them in a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Leave them on one side for an hour or so to that some of the bitter juices drain out.
After that, squeeze out any juices left and dry the dice thoroughly in a clean cloth

Now arrange the tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers and onion in a roasting tin sprinkle with the chopped garlic, basil and olive oil, toss it all together to get well coated and season with salt and pepper.
Place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

When you’re ready to assemble the salad, first place the couscous in a large heatproof bowl, then pour over the boiling stock, add some salt and pepper, stir with a fork, cover with cling film and leave on one side for 5 minutes by which time all the stock should be absorbed and the couscous softened.

Meanwhile cut the goat cheese into sugar cube-sized pieces.
Make up the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together into a bowl, then pour onto a serving pitcher.
To serve the salad place the couscous in a large wide glass salad bowl (it’s nice to use glass so you can see all the layers!) and gently fork in the cubes of goat cheese along with the roasted vegetables and any juices.
Next, arrange the salad leaves on top and just before serving, drizzle some of the dressing over the top followed by the onion seeds and serve the rest of the dressing in a pitcher separately.