All of these were borrowed/adapted from Maraquita Farm’s website:
Fennel, grape & gorgonzola salad
1 lg. fennel bulb
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup halved black grapes, seeded
2 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbed (about ½ cup)
1 cup thinly sliced radicchio/castelfranco
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage (or more radicchio/castelfranco)
Trim fennel stalks flush with bulb and discard any tough outer layers. Halve bulb lengthwise, discard core, and slice fennel thin. In a bowl toss together fennel, oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste and let stand 10 minutes. Add grapes, Gorgonzola, radicchio, and romaine and toss to combine.
Fresh fennel confit
1 bulb fennel
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. Pernod liqueur
Trim fennel bulb, and cut into long julienne strips. Combine the oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over very low heat. Add the fennel and pepper, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Remove the cover, add the Pernod, and stir. Cook an additional 5 minutes.
This confit can also be made without the Pernod and or with some sliced onion added with the fennel. It is great topped on a pizza, or can be served as a side dish.
Fennel Baked with Parmesan Cheese
This dish can be halved or made even smaller for just two people with one or two large fennel.
6 heads fennel, trimmed, quartered
butter
pepper
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Cook the fennel in salted water until it is tender. It is important to get this right: the fennel should not still be crisp, on the other hand it should not be floppy either. Drain it well and arrange in a generously buttered gratin dish. Be generous, too, with the pepper mill. Sprinkle on the cheese. Put into the oven at 400 degrees, until the cheese is golden brown and the fennel is bubbling vigorously in buttery juices. Do not let the browning on the cheese go beyond a rich golden-brown.
