Quick Cod Poached in Fennel, Onion, Tomato and Basil

What a busy week! You too? If you've been looking for a quick and easy Lenten dinner that uses only one pan and is easy on the waistline, here's something for you.

This simple dish simmers together thinly sliced fresh fennel and onion along with slivered tomato and fresh basil. Once the veggies are ready, cod fillets are nestled down into the mixture to pick up all the rich, fresh flavor and is finished with a sprinkle of fennel pollen to really jazz things up! That "easy on the waistline" part? There are only about 375 calories per satisfying serving.

While you're at the store (or the Strip District) buying your fish, grab a bag of salad mix, some crusty rolls from the bakery, and there's nothing else you need to get dinner on the table in no time. The only thing that could make that better would be dessert...so why not splurge those saved calories and pick up a few cookies while you're at it?!

Cod Poached in Fennel, Onion, Tomato and Basil

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb, fronds removed, cut in quarters lengthwise and sliced thinly across the bulb
• 1 medium onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly across
• 3 fresh tomatoes (I use Campari tomatoes, but Romas would work well, too), sliced lengthwise, then sliced across into julienne pieces - approx. 1 C
• 6 large leaves basil, sliced across thinly 
• 4 nice sized cod fillets - or use your own favorite mild fish
• fennel pollen - look for it on Amazon...you'll be glad you did for fish and veggies

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet on top of the stove, then add the veggies and basil. Let simmer until tender. Season the code with salt and pepper.

When the veggies are ready, move them to the sides of the pan and nestle the cod into the center of the pan and let the fillets gently cook through until flaky. To finish, sprinkle a couple of pinches of fennel pollen over the cod and veggies and serve.

Autumn Pot Roasted Lemon, Fennel and Garlic Chicken

Sometimes a simple pot roast or roasted chicken is just what the doctor ordered for a relaxing Sunday. Something easy to throw in the oven while you're busy around the house or the yard can't be beat. A one pot wonder!

I got to thinking, why not "pot roast" a chicken? No reason why not to at all, so that's exactly what went on the menu. I still had a fennel bulb and one lone leek in the veggie drawer...sounded like a good start to me. Sliced leeks, fennel and whole garlic cloves went into my enameled cast iron Dutch oven before anything else. 

Then I created a mixture of softened butter, more garlic, lemon zest, finely chopped fennel fronds and my secret ingredient, fennel pollen. (You remember fennel pollen, don't you? Here's the link again!) Rubbed and massaged between the skin and breast of the chicken to intensify the flavor (and to keep the bird nice and moist), the flavored butter became the next layer of flavor.

Why stop there, though? Those long celery-like stalks of fennel - you know, the ones that stick out from the bulb - went into the cavity of the chicken along with a well-pierced whole lemon to further infuse the chicken with flavor...this time from the inside out. 

Once in the oven, the fennel-y, lemon-y, garlic-y, chicken-y aroma emanating from the oven repeatedly led us into the kitchen by our noses! 

Part way through the roasting, tiny potatoes were added to make it almost a complete meal. Beets - roasted separately but in the same oven at the same time was the only other thing that was added to the meal. Okay...and a green salad. 

Don't you just love a simple, yet very special Sunday dinner? Me, too. Especially when that one-pot-wonder Sunday dinner was simply delicious! 

Autumn Pot Roasted Lemon, Fennel and 

Garlic Chicken

• 5-6 pound roasting chicken

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 1/4 cup fennel, fronds only, chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen - see below for link to buy this magical stuff!
• zest of one lemon - then juice and reserve the naked lemon - set the juice aside

• 1 leek, sliced in half lengthwise, washed thoroughly and sliced across into 1/2" pieces
• 1 fennel bulb, stalks cut off and reserved, stem end cut off, bulb cut in half lengthwise and sliced across
• 1 garlic bulb, Separated into cloves, peeled and smashed, make 2 piles of the smashed garlic
• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, small ones - cut in half if larger

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
 
Remove the guts from a whole roasting chicken - rinse in cold water and dry well with paper towels. Set aside.
 
Fennel garlic butter: Put the softened butter, fennel, lemon zest, garlic, kosher salt & pepper and fennel pollen into the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined, stopping and pushing the contents down as necessary. Set butter aside.
 
Pile the leeks, half the garlic cloves and sliced fennel bulb into the bottom of a covered roaster or enameled cast iron Dutch oven. (I use a deep oval one that holds the chicken perfectly.)
 
Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken by gently running your fingers between the flesh and the skin to loosen - be gentle so the skin doesn't tear. Rub about 2-3 T. of the fennel butter under the skin on one side of the breast and do the same with another 2-3 T. of the butter (more or less) on the other side. Rub what's left of the butter over the outside of the bird all over the breast and legs. Squeeze the lemon you used for the lemon zest over top of all.
 
Roast the chicken UNcovered at 450 for 30 minutes. Add the potatoes all around the chicken, put the lid on, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and roast another hour. Remove lid and continue roasting until the chicken is lightly browned. 

Let rest. Remove chicken from pot onto a large serving platter, lift the veggies out with a slotted spoon and arrange them around the chicken. Carve and serve!


NOTE: Want more veggies? Feel free to add carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, onions...whatever strikes your fancy. It's a pot roast! There aren't many rules where pot roasts are concerned now, are there? 

One for the Weekend - Fennel, Lemon & Hendrick's

When one is in possession of lacy, fragrant fennel fronds - those that weren't needed for soup - one simply does NOT throw them away! No no...in the house of Dinner Plan-it, they become simple syrup for a delicate, anise-y gin cocktail to sip and savor with friends. Of course!

Why Hendrick's? Although juniper is definitely part of the ingredients equation, this gin is not overpowered by a juniper jolt. Hendrick's alluring botanical Bulgarian rose and light cucumber notes are so graceful they don't crush the nuance of fennel and fresh lemon components in the cocktail. Well, that and I just really like Hendrick's!

Fennel-y, gin-y, just a light lift of lemon...cheers to the weekend!

Fennel, Lemon & Hendrick's

• 2 ounces Hendrick's
• 1/2 ounce fennel simple syrup (see recipe below)
• a nice wedge of lemon
• a strip of fresh lemon zest for garnish
•  a small fennel frond for garnish, too

In a cocktail tin, add Hendrick's, fennel simple syrup and the juice of a nice wedge of lemon. Add ice 3/4 of the way up the tin, cap tightly and shake vigorously until the tin is frosted.

Strain into a coupe or favorite glass and garnish with the lemon strip and fennel frond. Cheers!

Fennel Simple Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 - 1 cup fresh fennel fronds from a bulb of fennel

In a small pot, bring water and sugar to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the fennel fronds and stir down into the syrup. Remove from heat and let sit until the mixture is cool. 

Pour the cooled syrup through a strainer into a jar or bottle and refrigerate. Keeps 1-2 weeks in the fridge. Try it in iced tea or in an iced glass of soda or seltzer with a little lemon. Yum!

Chilled Fennel Leek Soup With Lemon

When you think of seasonal fall veggies, what's your first thought? Cabbage? Acorn or butternut squash? Maybe sweet potatoes? What about one of my favorite fall veggies, fennel? Is fennel even in your top 10? Whoa! You're not familiar with fennel? Okay, maybe you know it as anise since it goes by both names. (A veggie with an aka?! Is there a veggie witness protection program? What has fennel done?!)

Even if you haven't actually tried it, I hope you've at least noticed the bulbous, celery-like, ferny-topped pretty veg in the produce aisle. Did you get close up enough to get a good whiff? Licorice! At least a nicely mild licorice scent. It tastes gently licorice-y, too.

Raw, fennel has the almost the same crunch of celery and resembles the cooked texture of celery. A fresh raw fennel salad is wonderful with buttery greens and a nice fennel/orange vinaigrette...with maybe a few sliced, toasted and salted almonds over the top. My friend, Marti, makes a fabulous fennel gratin! that appeared here in May of 2012. 

This time, it was soup I had in mind. Specifically, a nice chilled cream of fennel soup with leeks, brightened with just a squeeze of lemon before serving. One nice thing about making this cream soup ahead is you end up having a choice. Hmmmm...to serve it chilled like vichyssoise or warm? Our warm October day made the choice an easy one - chilled!

Since fennel is such a subtle flavor, it was the perfect opportunity to use one of my new favorite spices, fennel pollen. It really amps up the fennel volume. You know how heat intensifies flavor and releases more of the bouquet of a soup, chilled soups often need just a little more oomph of flavor. That's where the lemon came in, too. A little squeeze of fresh lemon just before serving took the flavors over the top!

Next time you see fennel in the produce aisle or at you local farmers market, pick it up, inhale the sweet scent and give it a try. Oh...and those beautiful fronds? Use them for a garnish or chopped in salads or make fennel simple syrup. It makes for a lovely cocktail! Just wait and see in a few days when my fennel syrup is done and gets together with a little gin! See you then.

Chilled Fennel Leek Soup With Lemon

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 4 cups leeks, sliced almost to stem end lengthwise into quarters, run under water while fanning out the leaves, being sure to wash all sand and dirt from top to bottom - pat dry and slice across into about 1/4" pieces - I used 3 leeks
• 4 cups fennel bulbs - remove the stalks and fronds, remove any tough outer layers, slice in half lengthwise and cut into slivers - I used 3 medium bulbs - be sure to reserve the fronds for garnishes and other uses
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup potato flakes, be sure it's a gluten-free brand to make this GF (Why potato flakes? They thicken the soup without using flour...one of my favorite tricks for thickening soups and still keeping it gluten-free!)
• 1/16 teaspoon nutmeg
• Tabasco sauce, just a couple drops or so for zing
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chicken soup base - similar to bouillon, but not as salty
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen, plus more for garnish

In a large, heavy soup pot, melt the butter, then add the leeks, fennel and garlic. Cook and stir over low until the veggies are very soft. Add the stock, bring to boil and lower to a simmer. Cover and cook until the veggies are VERY soft. Remove from heat.
 
Cool slightly, then buzz with a stick blender until smooth. Check the bottom of the stick blender occasionally. If the bottom gets clogged with fibers from the veggies, pull them out and discard them. I had to do that a couple of times.

Once the soup is smooth, return to low heat and add the half & half, potato flakes, nutmeg, Tabasco, soup base and fennel pollen. Stir well with a whisk or wooden spoon. - you don't need the stick blender here! Refrigerate overnight.
 
The next day, adjust the seasonings - add salt only if necessary. Whisk well and ladle into bowls if you're serving the soup chilled. Warm it up if you want it hot...your decision...both equally yum!
 
If serving chilled, garnish with a fennel frond or chopped fennel, a pinch of fennel pollen and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!
 
NOTE: If you want the soup extra silky and creamy, after pureeing the soup with the stick blender, put the soup through a food mill. I don't think it's necessary...I like a bit of texture!

NOTE 2: If you use vegetable stock in place of chicken stock, you've got a vegetarian soup!

NOTE 3: You can get fennel pollen online at Gourmet Delights. LOVE this site! (That's where I get my truffle salt, too!)

Orange Roasted Chicken with Fall Veggies

Sundays should be slow and easy.  And so should Sunday dinners.  In that vein, here's a simple post for a simply delicious Sunday dinner.  Enjoy!

Orange Roasted Chicken with Fall Veggies

• a 6 pound roasting chicken, washed, dried, giblets removed - I threw them out...you do what you wish with them

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 pound parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 1 large leek, cleaned carefully, dark ends removed (and reserved), root end removed and discarded, remaining piece cut into 3-4" pieces
• 2 small fennel bulbs, fronds removed, set aside; stalks removed, set aside; remaining bulbs cut lengthwise into wedges
• 1 orange, zested, then juiced, reserve what's left of the orange halves and cut into large pieces
• 3 sprigs thyme, large ones

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper, lots

• orange juice, reserved from above
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, preferably white
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350.
 
In the bottom of a roasting pan, scatter sweet potatoes, parsnips, leeks, garlic and fennel wedges
 
Mix the rub: orange zest, 2 tablespoons minced fennel fronds, leeks, 2 springs of thyme - leaves removed and minced, 2 T. Kosher salt and lots of freshly ground pepper.  Mix well.  

Gently run your fingers between the skin and the flesh of the breast creating a pocket.  Gently (again) rub 2/3 of the rub between the skin and the flesh.  Rub the rest of the mixture all over the outside of the bird.
 
Mix the leek ends, remains of the orange, rest of the thyme and the rest of the fennel fronds and stalks.  Cram them into the cavity of the chicken.  Settle the prepared chicken on top of the veggies in the pan.

What a pretty chicken all ready for roasting!

 
Roast the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 180 degrees and the legs move loosely when wiggled. Remove from oven and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

NOTE:  The carcass will be turned into a wild rice and fall veggie soup...the dark meat became a Shepherds Pie with a topping of half and half mashed potatoes and cauliflower.  You know how I love my leftovers!

Marti's Shaved Fennel with Parm

Oopphhhh...I've been down for the count the last few days.  Writing, blogging and the accompanying stuff that precedes and follows up were simply beyond my capabilities this week.  Oh, what I would have given for a great big bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup!  

Alas, even soup making was too much...just think, it would have humidified the whole house with that beautiful chicken-y perfume!  Such a practical comfort food!  When you're under the weather, do you imagine Mom's chicken soup?  My mom's chicken noodle soup came out of the Campbell's can!  I wouldn't have minded opening a can, but this darn gluten issue prevented that.

Comfort food might have been just what my heart was craving, but the body simply couldn't manage it. And so my brain started working down it's mental list of alternate comfort foods that weren't a pain to make. 

As I thought, I kept returning to the recent Food with Friends weekend in Annapolis, remembering good times and all the good food...and I kept going back to Marti's Shaved Fennel with Parm.  That would be so good again.  It would comfort me, take my tastebuds, at least, back to a little reality of the sweet memory.  Not only that, I had fennel AND parm and it was a snap to make.  Hence, a brand new dish was added to my lexicon of personal comfort foods. Chicken soup begone!  There's a new comfort food in town!

Marti's Shaved Fennel with Parm

• 2 fennel bulbs, fronds removed & reserved, root end sliced off, sliced VERY thinly
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, the good stuff, the REAL Parmigiano-Reggiano

Scatter the fennel evenly over the bottom of a shallow baking dish.  Squeeze the lemon half over the top, distribute the minced garlic evenly over the top.
 

Using a veggie peeler or microplane, generously shave the parm over the top in curls. The amount in the recipe above is a suggestion, not a rule...splurge!
 

Place into a preheated 375 degree oven and bake 30 to 45 minutes or until tender and beautifully browned.  Garnish with a few reserved fennel fronds.

NOTE: Save those fronds to make a simple syrup for cocktails or to add into a salad.  Both are wonderful.

NOTE 2:  This is my interpretation of Marti's dish...hope I've done it justice, Marti!

Marti's Parm-crusted fennel "before" (in the foreground), my version "after" above.

Cocktail Time!!!!!

Yeah, I know Shakespeare said that in the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love....eh, this (not so young) woman's fancy turns to cocktail time on the deck! 

Last night I made the delightful little concoction you see on the right...I call it a Cucumber Fennel Lemondrop.  English cucumber, lemon, fennel simple syrup were muddled together, I added vodka and ice, garnished and that was it.  Honestly, it's one of my favorite cocktails ever!  I'll be making these frequently over the warm months!

 Cucumber Fennel Lemondrop

• 2 oz. vodka
• 3/4 oz. fennel simple syrup (see recipe below)
• 1/4 of a lemon cut into wedges
• 2" piece of English cucumber cut into dice (leave the peel on if you're using an English or seedless cucumber - the ones that come shrink-wrapped because they aren't waxed.  If you're using a regular cucumber, peel it so you don't get wax in your cocktail!)
• ice

In a cocktail tin, muddle the lemon and cucumber with the simple syrup until well pulverized.  Add the vodka and fill almost to the top with ice.  Cap the shaker and shake until the tin is frosted.  Strain into a Collins glass and serve with a slice of cucumber and a slice of lemon.  Enjoy.

 

The pink cocktail on the left was tonight's project!  It's a Strawberry Black Pepper Mojito.  Again I put together a muddle...fresh mint leaves, fresh strawberries, lime, black pepper simple syrup and rum.  Quite nice!

Simple syrups have been a little hobby lately.  I learned the black pepper one in my Mixology class (info at:    http://www.artofmixologyusa.com) and the fennel one I came up with on my own.  

We had roasted veggies the other night with fennel bulb...I had fennel fronds left so those anise scented fronds went into a simple syrup.  See the note below this recipe for simple syrup instructions.

Strawberry Black Pepper Mojito

• 3 fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 of a lime, cut into wedges
• 10 fresh mint leaves
• 3/4 oz. black pepper simple syrup
• your favorite rum
• club soda
• ice

In a cocktail tin, muddle the lime, mint leaves and strawberries with the simple syrup until well pulverized.  Add the rumand fill almost to the top with ice.  Cap the shaker and shake until the tin is frosted.  Strain into a Collins glass, top with club soda and serve with a a strawberry and a sprig of mint.  Enjoy.

NOTE:  To make simple syrup, combine 1 c. sugar with 1 c. water in a small saucepan.  Bring to boil while stirring, reduce heat and simmer until sugar is totally dissolved.  Add whatever you're adding to flavor the syrup and let it cool to room temp.  Strain into a bottle with a cap and store in the fridge.

For black pepper simple syrup, use 1 T. (or more) of the pepper, crushed.  

For fennel simple syrup, use the fronds (more or less, to taste) from 1 bulb of fennel.