Spaghetti with Salami, Fennel and Tomatoes

Fennel.  I love fennel.  But I haven't always been best friends with the fennel seed.  Ya know, they put it in sausage.  And usually when it is in my Italian sausage, I don't like it.  It is like, "yum, tasty sausage"...*crunch* explosion of fennel flavor...palate destroyed.  Throat on fire.

Fennel seeds also show up in some rye breads.  In fact, just last weekend, I was at the grocery store deciding on what rye bread to buy for my Reubens (corned beef...St. Patty's day...close enough).  I always get the dark brown loaf.  Scot said he wanted a lighter rye (random).  But I purposely made sure there were no stupid fennel seeds in my rye bread.  It is weird!  

Ok, maybe I am weird, because I know lots of people love the f. seed in both sausage and in rye bread.  

In conclusion, I was reluctant to put fennel seeds in this pasta.  I crushed them pretty good in the mortar and pestle.  I don't know what it was that was different about using them in this pasta, but I really liked it.  I thought maybe when combined with the fresh fennel, it balanced it all out.  Makes me wonder...maybe I just don't like bad Italian sausage that just happens to have fennel seeds in it?  Maybe the sausage makers should try crushing their fennel seeds a bit?  Who knows.  

Lastly, Scot loved this pasta dish.  He kept saying, "this tastes just like sausage".  He really likes sausage.  

Spaghetti with Salami, Fennel and Tomatoes

from Happy Days with the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

Extra virgin olive oil

5 ounces good spicy ltalian salami, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 bulb fennel, halved and finely sliced, feathery tops reserved and chopped

32 ounce can of plum tomatoes

1 dried chili, crumbled (optional)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 lb dried spaghetti or linguine

2 handfuls of stale breadcrumbs

a sprig of fresh rosemary (optional)

Pour 2 good lugs of olive oil into a pan. Add your salami and your sliced garlic. Lightly crack the fennel seeds either in a pestle and mortar or with a knife and add to the pan. Cook for 1 minute on a low heat – the fat should cook out of the salami and it should begin to get crisp. Add your sliced fennel and stir, then put the lid on the pan and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes, then add your tomatoes and even a little dried chili if you like. Cook slowly for 25 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Season to taste.

Cook your pasta in a large pot of fast boiling salted water until al dente. While it’s cooking, make some crunchy breadcrumbs, to give this dish a great texture and crunch. Just get a couple of good handfuls of coarse breadcrumbs and fry them with 4 or 5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil until they go crispy. Throw in some rosemary sprigs as well to give extra flavor. When your pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander and immediately toss it with your lovely tomato sauce. Serve in a large bowl and sprinkle with the green fennel tops and your crispy breadcrumbs.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 15 min., Cook time: 25 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives, Lemon and Fennel

I had so much fun when I was making this.  Something about this recipe was exciting.  

I got Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller recently for my birthday.  It is the HUGEST book ever.  But I am digging it.  

This is mostly your typical braised chicken thigh recipe, but I love the interesting twist on the flavors.  I also appreciate the careful treatment of the process of browning the skin, braising, and browning the skin one last time.  

Non-crispy chicken skin is not good.  Crispy chicken skin is amazing.  It has always been my favorite.

And I made some roasted baby potatoes to go with.  I will have to share the recipe sometime.  

Crispy Braised Chicken Thighs with Olives, Lemon and Fennel

from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

3 large fennel bulbs

12 chicken thighs

Kosher salt

Canola oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

1 cup Ascolane or other large green olives, such as Cerignola

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves

4 strips lemon zest – removed with a vegetable peeler

8 thyme sprigs

1 cup chicken stock

About 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Cut off the fennel stalks. Trim the bottom of the bulbs and peel back the layers until you reach the core; reserve the core for another use. Discard any bruised layers, and cut the fennel into 2-by-1/2-inch batons. You need 3 cups fennel for this recipe; reserve any remaining fennel for another use.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Heat some canola oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan or roasting pan that will hold all the thighs in one layer over medium-high heat. Add the thighs skin-side-down and brown on the skin side, about 4 minutes. Turn the thighs over and cook for about 1 minute to sear meat. Transfer to cooling rack.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onion to the pan and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fennel, turn the heat up to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the fennel is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Stir in the olives, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, lemon zest and thyme, then pour in the chicken stock. Increase the heat, bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook until the fennel is tender, about 1 minute.

Taste the stock and season with salt, as needed. Return the chicken to the pan skin-side-up, in a single layer. When the liquid returns to a simmer, transfer to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Turn on the broiler, and put the pan under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp and brown the chicken skin. Remove from oven, and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with parsley leaves.

(Servings: 6, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 50 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  8/10

Effort:  2/5

Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Gemelli with Fennel and Hot Sausage

We eat lots of pasta.  And I really like simple, quick pastas.  I also need to change things up.  All the time with pasta.  

This is roasted fennel, carrots, onions and sausage.  Then tossed with any short pasta.  Deglaze the baking pan with some of the pasta water.  Add that.  Done.  It is really easy.

I loved the sweet carrots and all the roasted-ness.  And the sausage is important, otherwise I am thinking it would be too bland.  

I will note that I could have roasted everything for about 25 minutes rather than 30 minutes.  So, make sure you check the roasted-ness as you get closer to 30 minutes.  

And I realize I didn't use gemelli pasta.  But who cas.  Scot just told me you can't spell cares with an accent like that.  See ya!

Gemelli with Fennel and Hot Sausage

by Rachael Ray

3/4 pound hot italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 large bulb fennel, cut into strips

1 large onion, sliced

3 carrots, sliced on an angle

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 pound gemelli pasta

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425°. On a baking sheet, toss the sausage, fennel, onion and carrots with the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl.

Add the sausage-vegetable mixture to the pasta. Add the reserved pasta cooking water to the baking sheet, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to the pasta mixture. Toss in the parsley; season with salt and pepper.

(Servings: 4, Prep time: 20 min., Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

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Salmon Pouch

This recipe is from Alton Brown. He is probably the only one I would trust with a microwavable recipe. Yes...this meal is made in the microwave! Sounds weird, but it is delicious! I have made this recipe several times. There is a bit of chopping, but otherwise, this meal could easily be made in the worst of conditions (perhaps during at kitchen remodel...:))

I wish I had known about this recipe back in the good ol' dorm days. I actually had a single, electric burner (illegal) in my dorm. Never did like being illegal.

Alton's original recipe calls for 1 tsp of salt, I always use less and I am a salty girl. I adjusted the recipe below. Maybe you aren't sure how to segment an orange? Check it out here. It is fun. Last tip, it is important to fold the pouch to make a tight seal. The fish and veggies are steamed and if there are holes in the pouch, you will more or less just microwave a beautiful salmon fillet and that would be so wrong.

Remember how I love cilantro? I also love coriander, which is the seed of cilantro. It is so refreshing!

Salmon Fillet en Papillote with Julienne Vegetable

by Alton Brown

1/3 cup julienned fennel bulb

1/3 cup julienned leeks, white part only

1/3 cup julienned carrots

1/3 cup julienned snow peas

1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon whole coriander seed, ground fine

1 (8-ounce) salmon fillet, pin bones removed

1/2 orange cut into wedges with white, pithy membrane removed

1 tablespoon dry vermouth or white wine

Take a 15 by 36-inch piece of parchment paper and fold in 1/2 like a book. Draw a large 1/2 heart on paper with fold of paper being the center of the heart. Cut out heart and open. Lay fennel, leeks, carrots, and snow peas on parchment in center to 1 side of fold. Mix together salt, pepper, and ground coriander. Sprinkle vegetables with 1/2 of salt, pepper, and coriander. Lay salmon on top of vegetables and season with remaining salt, pepper and coriander. Top with the orange wedges and sprinkle with vermouth or white wine. Fold other side of heart over fish and starting at top of heart shape, fold up both edges of parchment, overlapping folds as you move along. Once you reach the end tip, twist several times to secure tightly. Place on microwave safe plate and cook for 4 minutes, on high in microwave, or until fish reaches 131 degrees. Open parchment carefully and serve for a complete meal or with white rice.

(Servings: 1, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 10 min., Difficulty: easy)

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Here is what the pouch looks like before you open it up.

Super Sloppy Joes with Fennel and Cabbage Slaw

SUPER Sloppy Joes. It is a fork and knifer. I was inspired to make sloppy joes because Bobby Flay did a sloppy joe throwdown a few months ago. His Joes looked amazing. And I am sure they were. I intended to make them, but after looking at his recipe, I decided that was too much work for a loose meat sandwich. Bobby Flay is still awesome, just too awesome.

I looked around and Rachael's recipe had good ratings and was easy. It was pretty good...tasted just like sloppy joes should! I think I may be a little full of ground beef, though. With the meatloaf and the sloppy joes. This was a very meaty week. Scot had three joes. sloppy joes. joes. sloppy. joes.

Super Sloppy Joes

by Rachael Ray

(Yield: ~4 servings)

1 tablespoon extra‐virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

1 1/4 pounds ground beef sirloin

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon steak seasoning blend, such as McCormick brand Montreal Seasoning

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 crusty rolls, split, toasted, and lightly buttered

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and meat to the pan. Spread the meat around the pan and begin to break it up. Combine brown sugar and steak seasoning. Add sugar and spice mixture to the skillet and combine. When the meat has browned, add onion and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and cook onions, peppers, red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce with meat for 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cook Sloppy Joe mixture 5 minutes longer. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, pile sloppy meat onto toasted, buttered bun bottoms and cover with bun tops.

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In addition, I made Mel D's Fennel and Cabbage Slaw, which I seriously love. I have made it several times. I am not usually a fan of coleslaws. When a restaurant offers coleslaw as a side, I often feel a little gypped. It is kind of a mix between a salad and a condiment. I think they are usually too sweet and soggy. I also think everytime...ooh, maybe this place has good coleslaw...they never do. Anyways! This is really good. I am sort of in love with fennel. If you haven't tried it, you should. It is kind of a cross between an very, very mild onion, the texture of cabbage and maybe has a little bok choy-ness. It tastes kind of licorice-y. If I am making this less desirable for you, just try it. The first time I had it was when I tried a salmon recipe by Alton Brown, which I will definitely post at sometime. It was amazing. So is fennel. A few deets. Sometimes the grocery store cuts off most of the tops of the fennel (the fronds). That is sad because the fronds are nice. However, even when the cut most of it off, you can usually salvage a small bunch of fronds. They are just the little hairy guys on the stalk. You can use them like any herb. As for slicing it up for the slaw, you cut off all the green part and just slice up the white bulb. Quarter it. Then, remove the core (you will be able to see it). If aren't sure, just taste it, the core is nasty and hard to chew.

I also don't think the bacon is necessary to make this amazing, although it sure doesn't hurt. I didn't use any of these measurements either because I made like a whole big mixing bowl of this stuff. And who wants to buy a whole cabbage to use 1 cup of it? And my last thing...I never use light anything. Especially anything dairy. I would rather use less or no full fat product than use anything light. And I think Miracle Whip is the worst thing on earth. Sorry, I know some peeps like it....but I just can't.

Fennel and Cabbage Slaw

by Melissa D'Arabian

1 fennel bulb, core removed, cut into quarters, and sliced very thinly, fronds reserved

1 cup thinly sliced purple cabbage

2 scallions, chopped

2 strips bacon, cooked crisp and chopped

For the dressing:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss the fennel, cabbage, scallions, and bacon together in a medium bowl. Whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, fennel fronds, sugar, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl. Add the dressing to the slaw and toss to coat.

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