Turkey thigh is a great alternative to cooking the whole bird. It’s big enough to feed 4 and it’s all tasty dark meat (my preference). This one-pot meal combines classic fennel and orange flavours with lavender, a commonly used herb in French cooking. When cooked, lavender loses some of it’s floral notes but be careful…… Continue reading roasted turkey with fennel, orange and lavender
Tag: fennel
fennel and broad bean salad
A pale but delicious salad of fresh fennel, broad beans, hazelnuts and feta. Finely slice a large fennel bulb lengthways and put the slices in a bowl. Place 100g (3½ oz) of frozen broad beans in a small bowl and cover them in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain, refresh and add to the fennel. Dress…… Continue reading fennel and broad bean salad
pistachio and fennel amaretti
Full of pistachios and fragrant with fennel, these Italian biscuits (cookies) are usually either hard and dry or quite soft. This version is somewhere in between with a crisp outer layer and a satisfyingly chewy centre. Preheat your oven to 160°C (320ºF). Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. In a small dry frypan…… Continue reading pistachio and fennel amaretti
fennel and seafood salad
Here in the southern hemisphere we recently celebrated the Summer Solstice. Our feast began with this salad, a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from the cookbook Ottolenghi, cooked by Fifi. It looked magnificent and tasted even better. Trim the tops and bottoms of four fennel bulbs then slice them crosswise as thinly as you can. In a…… Continue reading fennel and seafood salad
pork cotoletta + 3 veg
Cotoletta is the Italian version of the ubiquitous Schnitzel. Unlike schnitzel, though, it is not usually breaded with egg but dipped in oil and then breadcrumbs and often grilled, not fried. It’s also often cooked with the bone in. Traditionally veal, I chose pork for this meal and made Italian vegetable accompaniments. The 3 veg I served…… Continue reading pork cotoletta + 3 veg
salmon on mash + roasted fennel & kale
A fresh piece of salmon with sweet mash, lemon roasted fennel and crisp kale. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (390ºF). For the mash steam equal amounts of potato and sweet potato until very soft and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan, add 1 finely chopped shallot and cook gently. Add ¼ of a finely sliced…… Continue reading salmon on mash + roasted fennel & kale
roasted and raw cauliflower, fennel and white bean salad
Here’s an interesting, substantial and very delicious salad. Cut half a head of cauilflower into florets and season with salt and pepper. Toss in a little olive oil and either fry or roast in a hot oven until browning. Finely slice the other half of the cauliflower as well as a large fennel bulb (a mandoline…… Continue reading roasted and raw cauliflower, fennel and white bean salad
braised fennel with peas
This makes an excellent accompaniment for fish and seafood or can be served as an antipasto dish. Trim and cut your fennel bulbs into even sized wedges. Put them into a wide saucepan and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil. Add the juice and finely grated rind of ½ a lemon and season with…… Continue reading braised fennel with peas
roasted monkfish with crushed potatoes
Once known as poor man’s lobster (before the price of fish went up) Monkfish has firm sweet flesh and the fillets have no bones as the fish is generally over a metre long. The recipe is adapted from one by Rick Stein. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Season the monkfish with salt and set it aside for…… Continue reading roasted monkfish with crushed potatoes
roast vegetable lasagna
A delicious layering of roast vegetables, pasta and fresh ricotta with napoli sauce and grated pecorino. For this lasagna I used eggplant (aubergine), pumpkin, onions, peppers, zucchini and fennel. Whichever vegetables you choose, cut them into thin slices and lay them on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and bake in…… Continue reading roast vegetable lasagna
michelle picker cooks 