Flavour nugget #31: maple and ancho caramelised fennelFennel is a funny one! Here's what to do with it.
Fennel has always been a vegetable I wanted to love but rarely reached for. There, I said it. Like any vegetable, it must be cooked sympathetically. Slicing fennel and frying it in the same way you would a pepper or an onion, for example, is not great. It’ll be fine, but unlikely to encourage a repeat performance. For me, there are two ways to eat this bushy bulb. The first is sliced very thinly in salads, ‘slaws, whatever you want to call them, where its aniseed flavour is fresh and its ribs not too gnarly. It adds value to a bowl of torn lettuce, for example. You feel like you achieved something by adding it. You’re more chic than the average salad consumer. The other way, I think, is to braise it; soften it and tame it. It can be quite woody and tough, really, and the sooner we admit that, the better. I’ll go first! So, fennel can be wonderful if treated correctly, which applies to many vegetables, e.g aubergines, courgettes. It’s not a ripe tomato; it needs a little somethin’. Fennel is not 21 anymore. Today, that somethin’ is a braise in butter, vinegar, maple syrup and smoky chilli. The fennel gives in to the braising liquid, butter-soft layers infused with the raisin-y hum of ancho. It locks in sticky caramel flavour like a limpet to a rock.
There’s a two-stage process here, but it’s mostly hands off. The first bit is just prepping for braising in the oven. Afterwards, you briefly caramelise the wedges in a frying pan and reduce the liquid until it’s veneered on there. Glossy segments sing with a complex, spicy sweetness. I’d eat this with seafood, of course, but I’d want something simple like a pan-fried fish fillet dressed with lemon, and perhaps a sharp salad on the side. In short, I wouldn’t match it with something inherently sweet already, like crab or prawns. Oooh, but SAUSAGES. Sausages would work very well as a sidekick. Although I do think this dish can be a main event. In this week’s Supersize Me! I’ve cast it as the main character in a flatbread arrangement that hits every spot, with chorizo and a preserved lemon yoghurt. Keeping it meat-free? Serve this as the centrepiece of a veggie meze dinner with bowls of olives, pickles and dips. Leftovers? I ate it in a focaccia sandwich with salami and went to bed happy.
Maple and Ancho Caramelised Fennel 2 bulbs of fennel, quartered lengthways Melt the butter in a pan with the maple syrup, vinegar, lemon zest and chilli. Place the fennel snugly in a roasting dish and add the braising liquid. Cover with foil and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the fennel is very soft. Turn it over halfway through the cooking time. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add a very small dash of oil. Cook the fennel pieces until caramelised on all sides - a few minutes. Add 100ml of the braising liquid, then reduce until sticky, glossy and coating the fennel, which you should turn regularly for an even coating.
SUPERSIZE ME! This week it’s a spot of flatbread-topping featuring our pal fennel, some irresistible chorizo crumbles and a preserved lemon yoghurt. Elite. Until next time, Flavour Fans x
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Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Flavour nugget #31: maple and ancho caramelised fennel
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