MetaChat - New Friday Game!

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31 July 2009

New Friday Game! Put my CSA share to use! →[More:]
So, I get a half-share from a local CSA. This week I have one giant fennel (bulb and greens), snap peas, one 1/2 pound eggplant, mustard greens, radish greens, peaches, basil, and two cucumbers.

I have apples from the store. My usual pantry stock includes grains/grain substitutes (Rice, bulgur, couscous, quinoa, ), beans (canned mostly), tomatoes (canned & paste in a tube), dried fruits, nuts and stuff like spices, flour (AP, cake, chickpea & wheat), oil (olive, corn, coconut), vinegar (cider, rice, balsamic, wine, Madeira).

I'm thinking some sort of fennel & apple salad, but what? How? I've never used fennel and the thing is intimidating! A complicated bulb about the size of my curled fist and a bushy fan of stalks, bigger than my head! Halp!

post by: crush-onastick at: 13:54 | 9 comments

I've shaved the fennel bulb over a salad before and really liked it. The frond part, I've put fish on the grill surround by the frond, and thought that had a nice effect. Not sure if any of that will help you, but I have a hard time using fennel too :)

posted by Sil 31 July | 14:29

I have scant experience with fennel. Can't really help.

posted by danf 31 July | 15:01

Fennel, Prosciutto, and Pomegranate Salad. I have never made this but it looks awesome and you could use some of your other veg as well.

posted by mdonley 31 July | 15:10

Fennel and orange is a really traditional flavor combination. I'm not that into fennel but I think the sweet/tart of either the apple or peaches should be able to mimic that closely enough. You could then just apply both to a...say, warm quinoa/couscous and greens salad, with a bit of vinaigrette from the olive oil and preferred vinegar.

posted by birdie 31 July | 15:43

So the fennel bulb is just sliced up/shaved up raw? And the frond isn't too bitter to be used as herb in food? It's a sort of anise-licorice flavor, right?

I have pomegranate molasses, which would be good for vinaigrette, but alas, no prosciutto.

posted by crush-onastick 31 July | 15:50

Slice fennel bulb, chill in container with 1 part lemon juice to 4 parts water and a little salt (and/or sugar if you like) for 6-24 hours. Serve alongside peanuts and olives as a beer accompaniment.

posted by Hugh Janus 31 July | 15:51

Peaches: I just made this Pinwheel Peach Cobbler and OH MY GOD IT'S SO GOOD. I'm not even that crazy about peaches. The topping is amazing, like if cinnamon rolls and shortbread and pie crust had a lemon party and made babies.

Or, puree them, freeze into cubes, and then use one or two cubes at a time to make bellinis. Mmm.

Fennel: It's an aromatic, so if you really can't figure anything out, you can always use it in stock.

posted by Juliet Banana 31 July | 16:35

And since I responded to a thread about fennel, I got fennel today in our CSA :)

I checked into the CSA book from the one we had in Madison (From Asparagus to Zucchini) and the fennel recipe that jumped out at me is the Fennel-Orange Muffins. If I get around to making them, I'll let you know how they are :)

The basic gist of it is to toss the oranges into a blender, add it to your muffin mixture, add grated fennel and voila! I bet it's pretty good.

posted by Sil 31 July | 17:50

Also thinking about doing Hugh Janus's recipe, I'm really curious about it. We're trying to cut back on beer though so I might save it for when we are splurging on beer again.

posted by Sil 31 July | 17:51

← I have a bit of slack today, so FRIDAY LYRICS CHALLENGE! || Fucking pissed off. →

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