Timing might not be all too good right now, showing our sunny Southern California garden of fennel bulbs while the rest of the country is knee deep in snow and ice. But there are trade offs to having relatively warm Los Angeles winters: we also get the traffic congestion, smog and the concrete jungle.

So please, don’t hate us because we have lots of sunshine and a winter garden of veggies!

Our fennel bulbs are big, tender, sweet and ready for picking! We planted them in the middle of summer and pretty much forgot about them for a while. Often times, we’ll throw seeds in the ground somewhere or plant some tender seedlings, wondering how they’ll fare in a new part of the garden. These fennel bulbs were an experiment because they were crammed in a little corner of a plot.  This is the first year we’ve grown fennel because the price tag can get pretty steep at the markets. If we can’t afford it, we’ll grow it!

Happy fennel picker

After our recent rains, they just exploded with the gush of healthy rain water, followed by days of sunshine. Even though we aren’t getting freezing temperatures and snow (although we did get frost last night), it is still cold enough to make us crave winter foods.  Fresh and bright salads don’t have the same appeal as braised and roasted dishes.  So for our virgin fennel bulbs, we decided to go to one of our fennel favorites, braised fennel bulb highlighted with some crispy prosciutto.

The fennel gets a caramelized sweetness that gets balanced with the saltiness from the crispy prosciutto. Mmmm…..

You could also shave some Grano Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano on it if you like, or even add some apples in like Evil Chef Mom did to her latkes.  Or leave off the prosciutto and add some pork butt or sausage.  Even if you are one who has shunned any licorice flavored goodies, this may be this dish which converts you to the dark side.

Happy fennel flowers

Harvesting happy fennel seeds

(this is a happy little post, isn’t it!)

The braising sweetens the fennel as well and taking a bit of the licorice bite out of it.  Eat these enough and your palate may begin change and soon you’ll be drinking pastis and buying black licorice.  As we like to say, “There isn’t anything we don’t like, we just haven’t found it in a way we like it.”

We’re submitting this Braised Fennel & crispy prosciutto dish to Grow Your Own event by Andrea of Andreas Recipes. This fabulous event celebrates the bounty of fruits and vegetables grown in our gardens!

An added plus to the licorice flavor of fennel:  supposedly licorice  helps stimulate the sexual appetite.  Tempted yet?!? Prrrrrr!

fresh fennel shower

caramelized sweetness

white wine to braise

fresh thyme & bay leaf for extra flavor

close lid, allow to braise

salty prosciutto for more flavor fun

crisping up the prosciutto

finale! braised goodness

Braised Fennel Recipe

Ingredients

3 Med. Fennel Bulbs

2-3 T Olive Oil

1/2 c Chicken Stock

1/2 c Dry White Wine (like a Sauv. Blanc)

3-4 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

1 Bay Leaf

@ 4 slices Prosciutto

1. Slice the fennel into 1/2″ thick pieces (try to keep each piece with bit of the root base so it stays together.)

2. On med.-high, heat a large saute pan then add olive oil. After oil is hot, add fennel and caramelize on all sides(@3-4 min./side.)

3. Add stock, wine, thyme and bay to fennel and reduce heat to low – med-low. Cover and gently simmer for 20-30 min., or until fennel bulbs are tender with a fork (you may need to add more stock as you simmer. Don’t let pan go dry, but you don’t want hardly any liquid left when you are done.)

4. While fennel cooks, heat a saute pan over med-high, add a touch of oil and crisp the prosciutto (just like cooking bacon.) After it cools a bit, slice it into your preferred size.

Plate the fennel and top with the crispy prosciutto. If you aren’t using the prosciutto, make sure you season the fennel.

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