Fennel Gratin

So I've failed at Wednesday updating again. I guess I'll have to suspend Wednesday posts until I get into the swing of my new schedule. And, as I start my new job tomorrow and need some rest, I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

Looking through Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food, I came across the section on fennel. Included in said section was a recipe for a fennel gratin which seemed tasty. As my dad has never had fennel before I thought I'd make it.  I made a few adaptations, and I'll just post as I did it. 

Fennel Gratin

• 2 medium/large fennel bulbs, trimmed of stalks and outer/bruised layer
  
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2/3 cup water (reserved from initial cooking of fennel)
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of red pepper
• 1/2 cup parmesan

Cut the fennel in half and then into wedges; do the same to the onion.  Fill a large pot with salted water and add the fennel and onion. Bring to a boil then cook for 5 minutes. Reserve 2/3 cup of the water, then drain. 

In a small saucepan, melt  the butter. Stir in the flour then cook for 3 minutes over medium heat.  Slowly add the milk and water, stirring constantly and vigorously to prevent lumping.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in the nutmeg, pepper, and parmesan.



Generously butter or spray a casserole dish, then pour in the fennel and onion. Pour the sauce over the top. bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Easy Italian Mac

Sitting in the laundromat the other night waiting for a month's worth of laundry to dry, I was flipping through a Better Homes and Garden and found this recipe. Now, I'm usually a pretty straight-laced kid, but I - carefully - tore the recipe out of the magazine and slipped it into my purse. I'm not sure what's worse, that I'm a thief or that I'm stealing recipes.. It was worth the thievery though. Quite worth it. The peas really make the dish, which is surprising to me because I still seem to have a 5 year old's idea of peas. Love them though. Nice sweet vegetable goodies.

OH! Shopping for the groceries for dinner tonight, I discovered my local store does now carry mascarpone and gruyere and other tasty things I couldn't previously find. YAY!

Easy Italian Mac:
8 oz bowtie pasta
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch strips
8 oz asparagus spears, woody portions removed and cut into 1 inch strips
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup finely shredded Romano
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this)

Cook the pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the water, then drain. Set pasta aside.
In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Add asparagus and fennel, stirring occasionally. Cook 5-7 minutes or until nearly tender. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.


Add pasta, mascarpone, and reserved pasta water to skillet. Stir well. Add remaining cheese and peas. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well.




I initially planned to serve this with grilled chicken strips, but decided to surprise hubby and serve it with scallops. Living in the midwest, I had to use frozen ones, but oh well. I just pan seared them after lightly salting and peppering them. They were nice and sweet; hubby said they were cooked just right.

We have plenty of leftovers, which means I have tasty lunch for work tomorrow. This dish is nice because it has a very definite cheesy taste, but it isn't overwhelming. Nothing is coated in sauce, and the veggies give it a nice, crisp flavor. We both really enjoyed it.

Foodsplosion

For various reasons, I did not cook at all this past week.. business, illness... but I always feel guilty if I go too long without cooking. It's just silly not to. Also, I'm doing a behavior modification project which just happens to focus on my dishwashing habits..and if I don't cook, I can't really modify behavior that I'm not doing, can I? Anyhoo....

My friend Leigh mentioned Wednesday that she was craving chocolate chip cookies. Thursday night, I was watching Ultimate Recipe Showdown cookie challenge. Though I had missed the actual chocolate chip cookie portion, I got online and decided to check out the winning recipe. Friday, Leigh still hadn't had cookies, so I decided to make her some. Woo crazy me.


So.. Radical Rob's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Not so radical... not in taste. The cookies are super-thin though.. And sugar-crispy. I prefer my cookies fluffy, so I probably wouldn't make these again. They weren't anything special. Not bad. Not special. Average cookie. I don't really see why it won the challenge. I guess it's texture.. Oh well.. Perhaps you'll like it.


Much earlier this week, I decided I was going to make this pork and fennel dish from my Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook. I've made it before; so far, it's the only way we've liked fennel. I also really enjoy the pork being so thin; plus pounding it is fun.


Pork with Fennel:
12 oz pork tenderloin (I usually use pork chops)
1/4 cup flour
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 oz pancetta (or bacon) finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 small onion. thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup whipping cream (I was out and used whole milk tonight)

Trim fat from meat, then cut into 1 inch squares. Place each slice between two sheets of plastic wrap, then pound with a meat mallet into 1/4 inch thickness.
In a bowl or plate, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Coat meat with mixture. Heat olive oil in a skillet, cook pork until meat is slightly pink in the center (2-3 minutes).
In the same skillet, cook pancetta (or bacon, like me) until crisp. Add fennel, onion, and garlic. Cook until crisp-tender (about 3-5 minutes). Add lemon juice. Stir in whipping cream. Bring to a boil, return meat to pan. Cook until meat is heated through and sauce is slightly thickened.
Best served with rice.

I'm in the process of baking the apple bread. I'll post it soon. I am just too tired right now.