Posted on 10/12/2016 4:00:34 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I don't like dishes that are strongly-flavored with fennel - we once made a slow-cooked pulled-pork recipe that was ruined for me by the fennel seed flavoring. So it surprised me that I really do like fennel root itself, when it's roasted with other vegetables. The picture above is of Ina Garten's Roasted Winter Vegetables; after we made it the first time, we did it again using carrots, parsnips, potatoes and - Fennel! We really liked it, a very warming Autumn-Winter side dish. Here is the original recipe, and you can switch out veggies as you like:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-winter-vegetables-recipe.html
As an aside, Fennel is a very interesting vegetable, with some notable health properties:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=23
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I've been trying to find a beer bread recipe that I like. I have an 'ideal' of beer bread in my mind, but I haven't found a recipe that really lives up to it. The ones I've found have been very nice, but not exactly the savory, crispy-outside, chewy inside that the name suggests to me. Perhaps I'm wanting a yeast-raised bread with Beer; but I haven't run across a recipe like that.
At any rate, I tried this quick beer bread last night, and it was very good, if not the one I'm looking for. It has a very nice texture, and I'd bet it would be great toasted, or 'grilled' with cheese:
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/yeast-breads/dill-and-cheese-beer-bread/
-JT
This week, a couple of little things.
(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping-list, please send a private message.)
-JT
I love fennel, in Italian dishes. Don’t think I’d care for it in pulled pork, though.
It wasn’t good. Fennel is in a lot of sausage recipes, so you’d think it would be good in the pulled-pork. Maybe I just had a recipe that overdid it ;-)
-JT
http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/archives.htm
“Finder of Lost Recipes”
Not cheap and simple enough for me, but darned interesting.
I remember seeing that website long ago, but had forgotten it! Thanks very much for the reminder!
-JT
You can overdo some things like that. A friend of mine was working where they made salsa. It had a lot of cilantro in it. I gorged myself pretty good on it and after that I don’t care for cilantro.
I have never made a recipe from Ina Garten that didn’t turn out well.
The Ina recipe that I linked to doesn’t use fennel - that’s a variation that we tried and liked. But it’s a very basic and flexible recipe, and the fennel worked fine in it.
-JT
My favorite season fennel dish is a simple first course, that has the crispness of celery but a subtle flavorful taste of anise.
1. Clean fennel well. Remove tops and save for another dish. Cut off root stem.
2. Slice fennel into half moons. Set aside.
3. Peel one large orange making sure the bitter pith and inner skin is removed. You do not have to section the fruit. Cut into thin rings.
4. Make your favorite olive oil and vinegar dressing. A three to one ration usually works best for me. Mix well and pour our cut fennel and orange sices. Refrigerate for a few hours.
4. Serve attractively into concentric circles, if you like or in a shallow pate as they fall. Decorate with fennel tops.
5. Because fennel is expensive, this would be a good company dish.
I don’t know where I got the idea to do this, but I have been doing it for decades. For most of my guests, this is their first experience with this intriguing vegetable.
I have never made fennel any way else.
Enjoy!
Oh, and season with salt and a little black pepper.
pate=plate
I saved this recipe, although I’ve never tried it, but the ‘crunchy crust’ caught my attention. I’m copying all the original verbiage...
Beer Bread
By Gerald Norman on October 15, 2003
About This Recipe
“Per Google.com, the #1 recipe for Beer Bread in the world! There are a few recipes for beer bread out there, but none as simple (and tasty!) as this one. You can even mix it in the baking pan for easy cleanup. This is sensational when served with soups or just as a snack, but don’t expect it to be around very long when your family gets a taste of it! Be sure to use a sheet pan on the shelf below the pan to catch any excess butter that may drip during cooking.”
Ingredients
3 cups flour (sifted)
3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 (12 ounce) can beer
1/2 cup melted butter (1/4 cup will do just fine)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients and beer.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4. Pour melted butter over mixture.
5. Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.
6. UPDATED NOTES: This recipe makes a very hearty bread with a crunchy, buttery crust. If you prefer a softer crust (like a traditional bread) mix the butter into the batter instead of pouring it over the top.
7. Sifting flour for bread recipes is a must-do. Most people just scoop the 1 cup measure in the flour canister
and level it off. That compacts the flour and will turn your bread into a “hard biscuit” as some have described. That’s because they aren’t sifting their flour! If you do not have a sifter, use a spoon to spoon the flour into the 1 cup measure. Try it once the “correct” way and you will see an amazing difference in the end product.
8. I have had many email from you kind folks about using non-alcoholic beverages instead of beer. That is fine
to do but I highly recommend adding a packet of Dry Active Yeast or 2 teaspoons of Bread (Machine) Yeast so that you get a proper rise.
9. The final result should be a thick, hearty and very tasteful bread, NOT A BRICK! ;).
10. Thank you all for the incredibly nice comments and those of you who left a bad review - learn to sift sift
SIFT! You will be amazed at the results you get.
Apparently there are reasons why some like and some can’t stand cilantro. I’m not sure if they are really genetic, or biological, or just psychological; but differences exist in how people perceive cilantro. I like it, but it can certainly be overdone even for those inclined toward it - like anything.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html?_r=0
(Hat tip to the Freeper who first alerted me to this cilantro article.)
Mmmmmm!
Fall weather is so awesome for roasted veggies. I’ll NEVER make ‘mushy’ Butternut Squash again, after roasting chunks of it with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic. *DROOL*
My Beer Bread recipe is really simple and always turns out great:
3 Cups self-rising flour*
1/2 cup sugar
1 12oz. can or bottle of beer
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Combine above ingredients until blended; it will be a sticky dough. Place in lightly greased loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes.
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)
Take bread out of oven and pour melted butter over the loaf. Return to oven and bake another 5-10 minutes.
*If you don’t use self-rising flour, add 1&1/4 tsp. baking POWDER for each cup of flour, (3&3/4 tsp. for this recipe.)
Eat this bread WARM with soups or stews. And in the morning? Toasted for Breakfast or Tea Time later in the day it’s a real treat.
The DARKER the beer you use, the yummier this bread is; I really like it with a ‘red’ such as Leinie’s. If you have Miller Lite to use up (the cr@p your idiot BIL brings over, LOL!) you’ll have a lighter loaf which is much more sweet.
lulu, that sounds really wonderful! I imagine that the orange would set off the fennel really well. It’s a ‘must try’!
-JT
That’s like eating asparagus. All peoples urine stinks afterwards but some can’t smell it. Or so I’ve read.
I think I’ve tried that one - it seems to be the most famous one on the Internet, and it does result in a nice crispy crust. The only problem I had with it, and with the one I tried last night, is that they’re too sweet for me. I’m going to have to try again, and reduce the sugar.
(Agree with your ‘sift’ instructions.)
LOL! I can always smell it, but I love asparagus.
(I remember reading that in colonial or early American times, they had signs in public places asking the men to please not pee into the spittoons during Asparagus Season ;-)
I love fennel seed and ground fennel. Use it on pork, generally.
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