Roasted Fennel in Cream Sauce

It’s springtime. Wild fennel will be making an appearance along roadsides and in neglected fields all over Israel. The long stalks and feathery leaves may be used to flavor fish, but the root bulb is puny and not worth digging up. Cultivated fennel bulbs, though, are at their best right now: fat and heavy in the hand, and succulent.

The first in Israel to cultivate the pale-green bulbs was Kibbutz Sde Eliayahu in Emek Beit Shean. A kibbutz member originally from Italy brought some back from a trip to the old country and started growing it experimentally. The climate favored the vegetable, a market was created for it, and for years Sde Eliayahu was the only source for cultivated fennel.  I lived on Sde Eliayahu for five months when I first came to Israel, and remember the Friday lunches featuring fennel baked in a mild, cheesey sauce. Pity I didn’t like it back then, because those who did almost licked their plates.

Baroness Tapuzina told me that when fennel is roasted, most of the anise overtones develop into a softer, almost sweet flavor. She was right. When the vegetable is at peak season, as it is now, I enjoy tucking a halved bulb next to a well-spiced chicken and allowing it to roast till carmelized. Sometimes I just douse cut halves with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and bake them, cut side down, for about 40 minutes. A few nights ago, I had a special dinner guest – Yaelian of the Finnish food blog – and made roasted fennel in cream sauce for this new, vegetarian, friend.

Our dinner was a light, puréed pumpkin and leek soup; roasted fennel; the Indian curried lentil dish dal with white rice; sliced tomatoes, and fresh bread. Yaelian says she liked everything, but especially the fennel and my home-made Reisling wine.  Yaelian speaks excellent English (and Spanish, and about another 4 languages). We had so much to talk about that I forgot to write the recipe down for her, so Yaelian – here it is.

1 bulb serves 2 as a light first course or side dish. Multiply freely as needed.

Ingredients:

1 big fennel bulb

olive oil

salt & pepper

250 ml. of light cream. I used the Israeli 10% cream that comes in a small carton.

1 big clove of garlic, peeled and sliced thickly (3 or 4 slices)

1 small sprig of rosemary – or 1/4 tsp. of rosemary needles

2 Tblsp. cognac or white wine

a handful of flaked almonds

a few drops of olive or almond oil

more salt and pepper to taste

a little paprika – just a few sprinkles

Method:

Roast the fennel.

1. Rinse the bulb. Cut the stalky parts and fronds away; reserve the stalks for a raw salad, if liked. (Recipe later.)

2. Prepare a baking sheet or pan to roast the fennel in; line it with parchment paper to catch any juices. Smear the halves well with olive oil; sprinkle them with salt and pepper.

3. Place the halves, cut side down, on the baking sheet and roast them at 350° F – 180°C for 40 minutes. They should emerge from the oven a golden brown and succulent, not dry. They may be eaten as is at this point, but they’re even better with the cream sauce…

Toast the Almonds

Put a few drops of oil – almond oil is best, but a little delicate olive oil will do instead – into a skillet. Heat the oil for a minute, then stir in the flaked almonds. Heat the almonds through, stirring. When a nutty aroma rises from the skillet, turn the flame off. The almonds should still be golden, with browned edges, and by no means burnt. Remove them from the pan, season lightly with herb salt if you have some – ordinary salt if you don’t – and set aside.

Make the Sauce

1. Pour the entire 250 ml. of cream into a skillet. Add the garlic and the cognac or wine. Over low heat, start to reduce the cream.  Don’t allow the cream to boil, just stir often and watch it become thicker and thicker. This should take between 10-15 minutes.

2. When the cream thickly coats a spoon dipped into it, add the rosemary. Cook another minute or two, and add seasonings to taste. Sprinkle a little paprika into it and stir well. The paprika adds a little warmth to the color and taste of the cream.

3. Turn the flame off and cover the cream. Let the garlic and rosemary infuse in it for 5 minutes, then fish them out. This is important: you don’t want their flavors to dominate over the delicate flavor of fennel.

Note: this makes enough cream sauce for 4 fennel halves (2 bulbs).

Serve

Remove the hot, roasted fennel to a serving plate, cut surface up. Cover the halves with cream. Strew toasted almonds over everything. Serve.

*

Raw fennel salad: may be made from the reserved stalks. slice them and sprinkle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Of course an entire fennel bulb may be used this way too. A combination of finely-sliced celery and fennel is good too.