Braised Fennel with Anchovy and Lemon

Braised Fennel with Anchovy and Lemon

Fennel is a vegetable I don't use enough.  And actually, I didn't discover it until I met Matt.  I first had it at his parents' house in a raw fennel salad they make - and I didn't like it.  I'm not particularly fond of Anis (and at that point in my life I also very much disliked fennel seeds) and when I first bit into the celery-like slices, I had to force myself to keep it down.  Not because it wasn't a tasty salad, but because it was a flavor I was used to hating.  I was too proud then (and probably still so now) to admit that I didn't like almost any food - much less something my then "maybe-one-day-in-laws" had just presented on the table, so I ate it up and smiled and moved on, wondering what the heck I'd just eaten and how I could avoid it for the rest of my life.

At that point I wasn't aware the fennel could also be cooked and served hot - something that almost guaranteed I'd like it better, being a sucker for hot food.  But somehow somewhere I had it again and it was cooked - probably in Italian food, as it's used ubiquitously in it - and I loved it.  Cooking fennel takes all the licorice-y bite out of it and if not overcooked keeps the crunch and texture.  I have never gone back to my fennel-hating ways, and I even eat it raw now.  Just comes to prove my theory on food that if at first you don't succeed, buy, buy again.

A Tale of Fennel Fronds and Lemon Zest

I was inspired to cook this dish by a braised fennel dish I had in a hotel a couple of weeks ago in Ras Al Khaimah, when Matt, Roman and I took a weekend trip there.  Overall it was a pretty mediocre dish, but the idea seemed brilliant to me (as limited as I am in my fennel repertoire): braise fennel!  Their version was just fennel in a somewhat bland tomato sauce and it was still pretty good.  I am making mine with some of my favorite Italian flavors: garlic, lemon, anchovy and pepperoncino.

It makes a great sidedish or could be beefed up to be a delicious main tossed in pasta, served warm over couscous or as part of a cold or warm salad - in fact, the juice the fennel is cooked in would make a wonderful salad dressing.  Even better, serve some steamed or braised fish over it for the perfect summer or winter meal. 

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Braised Fennel with Anchovy and Lemon

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 large fennel bulbs, quartered, then sliced in half again into wedges

*reserve some of the fronds, minced

1 large juicy lemon (or 2 small ones), zested and juiced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp anchovy paste

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup chicken stock (or 1 bouillon cube + 1/2 cup water)

salt and pepper

4-5 tbsps olive oil

Method

1. Heat half the oil in a pan at medium high heat; add the garlic and allow to fry for a little bit before adding 1/2 the chopped fennel.  Sautee the fennel until golden on both sides (5-6 minutes).  The garlic will turn brown, but turn the heat down if it starts to burn.  Remove the fennel to an oven-safe dish.

2. Add the other half of the oil and sautee the remaining fennel as above.  Remove to the same oven-proof dish.

3. Turn down the heat slighly, then add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and about 1 tbsp minced fennel fronds, the red pepper flakes, and the lemon zest to the remaining hot oil and garlic bits.  Then add the anchovy paste and lemon juice.  Sautee briefly.

4.  Add the chicken stock and some pepper.  Allow the mixture to reduce for 1-2 minutes.

5. Pour the mixture over the fennel in the oven-proof dish.  The liquid should come up about halfway.

6. Put in the oven to cook uncovered for about 30 minutes at 200C or 400F, or until the fennel is slightly golden at the top and the liquid is reduced by nearly half.

Enjoy!

An American Classic: Homemade Funnel Cakes

Roman's First Funnel Cake - homemade too. :)

This Christmas was spent in Texas, where we ate many delicious things - many homemade, many not.  While a prime rib roast (which we made twice over Christmas break) does rank high on my all-time top foods, I was reminded of another food that is also among my favorites on my Texan culinary adventures - a more humble food for the masses, country-folk fare, you might even call it.  Fair-fare, if I may be so bold: The Classic American Funnel Cake.

Funnel cakes are a funny thing.  I had a couple on my trip home to Texas, but it was the first time I'd had them since I was a child.  They are truly a "niche" food - I have never heard of anyone making funnel cakes at home because they are reserved for that special experience when you go to a carnival or fair, or Six Flags as was the case with me.  Their smell is unmistakable, and their taste even moreso.  The whole experience of the carnival music, the flimsy paper plate, and powdered sugar flying all over your face is the thing that childhood memories are made of.  Which is why I simply couldn't get them out of my head after my Christmas-time binge.

Another issue of note with funnel cakes is that they are mostly associated with middle America.  When I decided to embark on a homemade funnel cake adventure, posted that I'd be making funnel cakes on Facebook a lot of my international friends commented in puzzlement - one of them was a pastry chef, mind you - with regards to what a "funnel" cake could be.  The Brit didn't know, the Kiwi didn't know, the Thai didn't know...it was only my fellow American friends who lauded the inclination and stated plainly they'd consider flying to Abu Dhabi if I'd make them one.

Yet, there seems to be funnel cake-esque desserts all over the world.  According to Wikipedia:

"In America, funnel cakes were originally associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch region. In Austria the equivalent is called Strauben and is made and served similarly. In Slovenian cuisine they are called flancati (pron. FLAN-tsa-tee). In Finland the analogous tippaleipä is traditionally served at May Day (Vappu) celebrations. In Ripon, North Yorkshire, it is also known as "Fennel Funnel Pie". It is also rarely called "Elephant ears".^[1] In the Indian subcontinent a similar dessert is called jalebi which has a somewhat chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating; in Iran this would be known as zulbia and is a popular dessert."

Who knew?  Then again, in all honesty, I can't say I'm terribly surprised.  Funnel cakes are so good that it figures the whole world has their own recipe.  Although I can't say I'd compare jalebi to American funnel cakes, personally. :) 

A very unfortunate funnel cake sign at a fair in Austin, TX
image credit

Funnel cakes are especially good when served piping hot and shared with a loved one.  And they pair admirably well with corndogs, another one of my favorite carnival foods.  This past December we all went to the Grapevine, TX Polar Express train ride with the kids and my sister and husband.  They got to meet Santa Claus, jump in a bouncy castle, and eat corndogs and funnel cakes.  I got to talking to the old couple in the funnel cake trailer, who told me they'd been making funnel cakes at all sorts of carnivals and fairs for years.  It turns out they use a mix they buy from a wholesaler (which makes sense) and can make, they said, up to 50,000 funnel cakes in one good weekend at at Texas fair.  Pretty impressive.  At $5.00 a pop, maybe we're in the wrong business? :)

I discovered a ridiculously easy recipe online that I adapted slightly and will share below.  And please also enjoy salivating over the pictures I took - do not attempt to fry funnel cakes while simultaneously taking action shots - fair warning. :)

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Homemade Funnel Cakes

Recipe adapted from this one.

Makes 5-7, 6" Cakes

 

They're called funnel cakes because the dough is put into a funnel and released into a deep pan of hot oil in the traditional squiggly, wiggly shapes.  It's just as much fun to do as it is to watch, I've finally discovered after all these years of standing mesmerized at the fair.

The traditional topping for a carnival funnel cake is powdered sugar, but feel free to improvise.  And remember that the cake is meant to be cake-y, not crunchy, so don't be tempted to leave it too long in the oil.

Ingredients

1 egg
1 cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

 Method

1. Beat egg and milk. Mix all other ingredients in a separate bowl and slowly add to the egg mixture, beating until smooth.

2. When ready to fry the cakes, use a cast iron pan (a small one works perfectly) and heat about 1-2 cups of vegetable oil (depending on the size of your pan) over medium-high heat until hot.d Test the temperature by dropping a drop of dough into the hot oil - if it fries right away without smoking, it's perfect.

Note: If you make the batter ahead of time and refrigerate, make sure to mix it very well and add a little extra milk if necessary or the batter will take forever to come out of the bottom of the funnel, and your cake will burn while you are trying to pour the rest of it.

The Action Shot.

3. Using a funnel, drop into hot oil working from center outwards in a web pattern. 

4. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until golden on both sides.  Do not overcook - funnel cakes are meant to be more soft and cake-like than crunchy.

5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (the traditional way to eat them) or drizzle with honey, caramel, nutella and serve immediately.  They also go great with ice cream and fresh fruit!