Roasted Fennel and Apples

I planted fall fennel just so I could make this dish from Joshua McFadden’s cookbook, Six Seasons. When I went out to harvest the bulbs, I discovered that the storage beets had put on so much foliage, they had overwhelmed the fennel interspersed in the row. I was initially disappointed when I saw the spindly fennel plants, but it turned out to be a happy discovery. Those tender little bulbs cooked up quickly and became melt-in-your-mouth soft and delicious when I cooked them. And they were a similar size to the apple slices so there was no need for a knife. The only down side was that I used up all the fennel to make one dish. It was so good that I may have to go buy some more.

Ingredients:

  • Olive oil

  • 2 garlic cloves – peeled and smashed

  • ½ tsp dried chile flakes (optional)

  • 1 ½ pounds fennel

  • 1 large apple – cored and thinly sliced

  • ½ cup almonds – chopped and toasted

  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

  • 6 ounces Parmesan cheese – cut in thin slices

  • salt and black pepper to taste

  • ½ cup dried breadcrumbs (fresh or Panko)

  • 1 Tbs unsalted butter (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

  2. Prepare the fennel – trim the roots and stalks, and slice the bulbs lengthwise into thin strips.  

  3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the smashed garlic, and cook slowly until the garlic is soft and lightly browned – about 5 minutes.  If using chile flakes, add them here and toast for another few seconds. Next add the fennel slices and 1/3 cup water to the pan and cover. Check the fennel every few minutes. It should be simmering. If the water evaporates before the fennel is tender, add more.

  4. Continue cooking until the fennel is ¾ cooked through - about 10 minutes. When is it tender, before it is mushy, turn off the heat and stir in the apples, toasted almonds, thyme, salt and pepper and half of the cheese.

  5. Scrape the fennel and apples into a 2-quart baking dish, top with the breadcrumbs and remaining cheese. Dot with butter (although I didn’t think it was necessary). Bake until the ingredients are hot and the cheese is starting to bubble – 30-35 minutes.  To brown the top, place under the broiler for the last few minutes before serving.

What Joshua did:

So I confess that once again I didn’t follow the directions. In case you want to, Joshua McFadden recommends that you add ½ pound of fennel sausage to the dish. Remove the casings as needed, and crumble the meat into a skillet over medium-high heat with a teaspoon of olive oil. Once it has lost its pink color – about 5 minutes – remove it from the skillet, and set aside. Use the skillet to cook the garlic and fennel slices. Return the sausage to the fennel with the apple and almonds.

The recipe also calls for Taleggio cheese. I substituted Parmesan. It worked just fine.

Oh yes, Joshua suggests a Braeburn or Fuji apple. Obviously he did not learn much about Maine apples during his summer at Four Seasons Farm, otherwise I’m sure he would have recommended a Wealthy or Smokehouse.