This week, a couple of little things.
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-JT
I love fennel, in Italian dishes. Don’t think I’d care for it in pulled pork, though.
http://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/archives.htm
“Finder of Lost Recipes”
Not cheap and simple enough for me, but darned interesting.
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!
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.
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.
I love fennel seed and ground fennel. Use it on pork, generally.
I was going to suggest pouring butter over the bread but I can see that many others have already done that! I love a basic recipe but using a fall beer, like Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest to give it a better flavor. But definitely try a recipe with butter all over it while baking. That gives you the super crispy crust! A basic version: http://glitterandgoulash.com/quick-beer-bread/
Fennel is yummy in salads and with fish
I would think a Honey Wheat beer would be good in a bread.
Parsnips are one of my favorites.
The Marina Variety Store and Restaurant in Charleston SC used to serve the best beer bread. I have the recipe somewhere, will have to find it for you. I remember the waiter who gave me the recipe said the secret was to only use Pabst Blue Ribbon, no other beer.
I used to make beer muffins with Bisquik but they were soft. Bisquik has changed its recipe and is WAAAAAAY too salty so I’ve ruined a half dozen batches in recent years. I don’t recommend any Bisquik recipe these days.
King Arthur Flour has a couple of Beer Bread recipes. I’d post them for you, but I’m posting challenged! I love their English Muffin Bread recipe!
The crispy outside on a loaf of bread is often the result of a chemical reaction to moisture in the air while it’s baking, and not the recipe itself. It’s counter-intuitive, but the more moisture, the crisper the crust. To up the moisture while baking, put a metal cake pan on the bottom shelf and toss in some ice cubes.
My beer bread recipe is just a very simple 3 cups of self rising flour, 2-7 Tbls of sugar, and a can of beer. Top loaf with melted butter during the last 10 minutes.
Over the years, I have altered it using various seasonings or cheeses-whatever I have on hand and have a hankering for.
It’s my go to recipe for a quick bread when we are out and I don’t want to make a trip to the store. It’s pretty good in the toaster the next day, but of course, fresh from the oven with gobs of butter is the best.
Anyway please send me suggestions.