Grilled fennel salad with apricots & goat cheese

For ➍

2 fennels

4 large apricots

2 tbs roasted hazelnuts*

1 handful of basil

200 g fresh goat cheese

lemon

salt

olive oil

Heat the barbecue.**

Slice half a fennel into thin slices using a mandoline or a sharp knife. Pour the juice of a lemon over it and add a generous pinch of salt. Mix briefly and let it marinate. Cut the rest of the fennel into slightly thicker slices. Rub with olive oil and salt, and grill on the barbecue**. Use a grill with small openings for this, so that the fennel does not fall through. When the fennel is slightly charred and a little soft, remove it from the barbecue. Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits, then rub with oil. Place them on the grill** with the cut side down for a moment, until they soften slightly and develop black stripes.

Assemble the salad by mixing the roasted and marinated fennel (and the lemon juice in which they marinated) with the grilled apricots. Place the goat cheese on top and finish with the basil leaves and hazelnuts*.

Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with some good olive oil.

*Replace with walnuts.

**Use a grill pan for small quantities if necessary.

♥︎Fregola Sarda with clams & fennel

For ➍ 

350 g fregola Sarda

1.5 kg clams/ vongele

1 l fish or vegetable stock

2 cloves of garlic

2 large fennels, cut in small cubes, stems reserved

1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely

1 organic lemon, juice & zest

1 glass of white wine

sea ​​salt & pepper

extra virgin olive oil

If you still have to clean the shells yourself, soak them in a large container of cold water beforehand. Then rinse them under the tap. The mussels will then open for a moment and you can rinse away the sand.

Boil a pan of water with the fish or vegetable stock.

Take a deep pan and now add a dash of olive oil. Cut 1 clove of garlic into slices and fry it together with the fennels for 5 m on medium heat until the fennel is translucent and just turns a brown color. Add the fregola and stir well.

Add enough stock (approximately the same volume as the pasta) to the risotto, reduce heat and cover with a lid for +/- 10 m. Fill if necessary. add extra stock.

5-6 m before the end of the risotto cooking time, cook the clams. Place a large frying pan or wok over low heat with a dash of olive oil. 

Crush 1 clove of garlic and fry with the skin on briefly in the oil. Remove after the oil has been seasoned. 

Add the shells, increase the heat and add a dash of white wine. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the shells for a few m. Shake the pan regularly to ensure they all open. 

After 10-12 minutes, when the fregola is just al dente and the mixture looks soupy, stir in the clams and the cooking liquid with a little chopped parsley and the lemon zest.

Squeeze half a lemon and add it, season the pasta with salt and pepper.

Serve the dish in bowls with some of the fennel fronds kept aside and a drizzle of olive oil on top.

♥︎Sea bass fillet with tomato & caper salsa

For ➍ 

4 large sea bass fillets with skin

1 fennel bulb,  4 slices of ½ cm, keep the fennel tops aside

2 tomatoes on the vine, peeled, without seeds, cut into cubes

4 tbs capers

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 handful of fresh thyme

6 tbs good olive oil

1 tbs lime zest

1 handful of watercress

pepper and salt

Fry the fennel, garlic and thyme in some olive oil until al dente.

For the salsa, mix the rest of the olive oil, capers, lime zest and tomato together and season with some salt and pepper.

Pat the pieces of sea bass fillet dry with kitchen paper and mark the skin of the fillets lightly with a small knife.

Fry the fish in a hot pan with a non-stick coating until nicely browned on the skin side, for about 3 to 4 m, turn off the heat and leave the fish in the pan for another 1 m.

Serve the fish skin side up together with the fennel, salsa and watercress.

Season everything with some coarse pepper and sea salt and the fennel tops.

Serve with fried potatoes.

♥︎Vegan tajine of sweet potato, fennel & olives

For ➍

4 tbs olive oil

3 fennel bulbs, each in 8 wedges & keep the greens

juice & pulp of 2 oranges

juice & pulp of 1 lemon

2 red onions, in half moons

3 garlic cloves, sliced

3-5 sprigs of thyme

25 cl boiling water

1-2 tbs harissa

750 g orange sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped

100 g  black olives

Heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole or tagine. Add the fennel pieces and a pinch of salt and fry the vegetables for 8-10 m. Use tongs to turn the pieces so that they brown on all sides. Remove the fennel pieces from the pan and keep apart.

Put the onion in the pan and let it fry for 2 to 3 m. Add the garlic and thyme and fry for 1 m.

Fill a measuring jug with 25 cl of boiling water and dissolve the harissa in it. Add the orange and lemon juice and, if desired, a pinch of salt and pour this broth into the pan with the onions.

Add the sweet potato pieces and the fried fennel, toss gently and bring to the boil. Put a lid on the pan and turn the heat to low. Let simmer gently for 15 m.

Remove the lid from the pan and add the olives. Carefully toss again and let everything simmer for another 15 m without a lid, or until the sweet potato is cooked through.

Finely chop the fennel greens and sprinkle over the tajine before serving.

*Serve this dish with a whole grain of your choice, such as whole grain couscous, pearl barley, buckwheat, whole grain rice or quinoa. The last three are gluten-free. 

**Serve with a green salad.

Fennel risotto with 'nduja & mussels

For ➋

1 kg mussels

olive oil

1 fennel

1 shallot, shredded

2 cloves garlic, crushed into a purée

1 tbs 'nduja

200 g risotto rice

15 cl white wine

60 cl warm (vegetable) stock

knob of butter

15 g flat parsley, shredded

Rinse the mussels thoroughly. Heat some oil in a large pan and cook the mussels under a lid for about 5 m, or until the shells are just open. Turn the mussels halfway through the cooking time. Pour the mussel liquid through a fine sieve and keep it. Keep the mussels warm.

Remove the hard core of the fennel and cut it into small pieces.

Heat some olive oil in a pan and sauté the shallot for 2 m before adding the crushed garlic. Stew 1 m further. Add the fennel and stir-fry for 5 m and mix in the 'nduja. After 2 m, pour the rice into the pot. Stir-fry for 2 m, deglaze with the white wine and about 15 cl of the sieved mussel liquid. 

Let it boil before adding a ladle of hot stock. 

Stir until the stock is completely absorbed and add another ladle. Repeat until the rice is al dente, about 20 m.

Remove the mussels from their shells and keep warm.

Mix a good knob of butter and most of the flat-leaf parsley through the risotto. Add half of the mussels and gently mix into the risotto. 

Divide the risotto among plates or on a serving platter and garnish with the remaining mussels and flat-leaf parsley.

Marinated fennel with goat cheese & capers

For ➍ as a side dish, for ➋ as a main 

1 fennel bulb 

1 tbs fennel seed 

½ ts sea salt 

1.5 dl virgin olive oil 

2 tbs capers oil (for frying) 

1 soft fresh soft goat cheese, French 

1-1.5 lemon 

Grind the fennel seed with the sea salt in a mortar (but not necessarily until it is a homogeneous powder) and mix the result with the olive oil.* Scrape the fennel into thin ribbons with a mandolin. Mix them generously with the fennel oil* and let them marinate (that is allowed overnight, but half an hour is also good). 

Rinse the capers and pat them dry. Heat a little oil in a saucepan and fry the capers until they get a meaty texture with crispy edges. Let them drain.** 

Sprinkle the capers over the fennel and serve with the goat cheese. Serve with crusty bread, which you can dip in the soft cheese and marinade. 

*Make a lower calories lemon oil marinade with 2tbs olive oil, juice & grated peel of 1-1.5 lemon. Add the fennel seeds & salt. 

**Don't fry the capers when short in time.

Lemon risotto with fennel

For ➋

150 g risotto rice

50 cl warm vegetable stock

2 knobs of butter

50 g Parmigiano

1 small onion

splash dry white wine

1 lemon, juice & grated peel

1 fennel

75 g peas (frozen)

fresh basil

Chop the onion. Melt a knob of butter in a pan and fry the onion in it. Add the rice, stir and cook for a few m until it starts to turn translucent. Then deglaze with the white wine.

Clean and thinly slice the fennel and cut into strips. Add to the risotto rice. Then add a little of the stock and stir and wait until it is absorbed.

Grate the lemon and squeeze it. Add the juice and half of the grated lemon peel to the risotto rice as well. Meanwhile, keep adding stock little by little, stirring occasionally. Add the frozen peas after approx. 10 m. After a total time of about 20 to 25 m, the risotto is cooked, you may still have a little stock left.

Tear some basil into pieces and stir through the risotto together with the grated Parmesan and a knob of butter. Taste to see if the risotto might need a little more salt or pepper. When serving, garnish the risotto with some basil and grated lemon peel.

*For a non-vegetarian meal, it can be served with fried shrimps.

Fennel & mascarpone risotto with scallops

For ➍
50 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, heads finely sliced
300 g risotto rice, such as carnaroli
30 cl white wine
1.2 litres vegetable stock, hot
1 tbs olive oil
80 g prosciutto, cut into thin strips
12 fresh scallops ('diver caught', if possible), corals detached
3 tbs chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
4 tbs mascarpone

Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8 m, until softened. Add the garlic and fennel and cook for a further 5 m. Add the rice and stir until coated in butter, then add the wine and bubble for 2-3 m.
Add the stock, a few ladlefuls at a time, stirring in each addition until absorbed. Keep ladling and stirring until the stock is used up and the rice is al dente but creamy – this will take about 20 minutes at a gentle simmer. Check the seasoning, cover and allow to rest for 2-3 m.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the prosciutto and fry for 1 minute or until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside. When the pan is hot, add the white parts of the scallops and season in the pan. Cook for 1 me each side or until lightly golden, then add the corals and cook for 30 s. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley and mascarpone into the rice.
To serve, divide the risotto between 4 bowls, top with the crispy prosciutto, scallops and their corals, and season with black pepper.

Read tip on cooking scallops. Read tip on cooking rissoto.

Straccetti di pollo e finocchi al limone (chicken strips & lemon & fennel)

For ➋

2 chicken breasts
1 fennel
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon, juice
1 lemon, grated peel
1 ts grated fresh ginger
salt & pepper
extra virgin olive oil as needed

Cut the chicken breasts into strips with a sharp knife or scissors, following the grain of the meat.
Put the chicken in a bowl to marinate with the garlic clove, oil, salt, pepper, juice and grated lemon peel and grated fresh ginger.
Clean the fennel by removing the tops and the leathery outer part. Cut it into very thin strips and add it to the marinade. Use the mandolin for best results.
Turn well and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 m (if you want even more, remix every 30 m).*
Heat a large non-stick pan. When it is hot, add the chicken and fennel with the whole marinade (discard the garlic, if you want).

Cook the chicken on a moderate heat for 10 m, turning it occasionally or roasting it. After 10 m the sauce will be reduced and will be more creamy, the chicken will have become more golden.  Cook for 10-15 m.

Serve hot.

*Adjust taste with some mirin, or white balsamico for a sweeter bite. Add some sumak for a touch of sweet sourness.

Fenneru no shiomomi ponzu (quick Japanese fennel salad)

For ➋ 

1 large fennel bulb

½ ts salt

ponzu or lemon juice

pepper (optional)

Cut the green parts off the fennel bulb.  Cut the bulb in half, then slice very thinly. Sprinkle with salt. Massage the slices firmly with your hand until they are softened.

You can store this in the refrigerator, well covered, for 3-4 days like this if you like. 

When using, drain off any excess moisture, and sprinkle with a little bit of lemon juice or ponzu and optionally, black pepper.

Serve as a salad or a side-dish.

*Serve with salmon sashimi.

Shiomomi, massaging vegetables with salt, can be used with 

shredded cabbage

thinly sliced daikon radish (mouli)

thinly sliced Japanese turnip (the small white kind), or larger Chinese turnip (Western turnip is a bit too woody)

thinly sliced celeriac

thinly sliced onion

cucumber, thinly slices or cut into chunks

cut up Chinese (napa) cabbage

cough outer leaves of cos or romaine lettuce

Just sprinkle a little salt on the vegetables, and scrunch them up well with your impeccably clean hands. Optionally add some dried chili pepper flakes for spiciness. You can eat the massaged vegetables immediately, or store it in the refrigerator for a few days. Shiomomi is closely related to instant pickles, but even easier since you are just relying on the inherent flavors of the vegetables you are using.

Fen'neru miso (fennel miso with ginger)

For ➍

2 tbs vegetable oil

500 g fennel bulbs, finely sliced

1 carrot, in thin sticks

white of 2 leeks, in rings

2 potatoes, peeled, diced

2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

½ small green chilli peppers, sliced

1 small red chilli pepper, sliced

1 ts fennel seeds, crushed

salt

3 tbs red miso paste with barley

1.5 l dashi stock*

150 g watercress, chopped + extra for garnish

5 snow peas, halved

1 tbs lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, carrot, leek and potatoes and fry the vegetables for a few minutes, until they are soft. Stir in the ginger, garlic, chillies, and fennel seeds. Season with salt and let everything cook on low heat for 10 m.

Dissolve the miso in 1.2 dl of boiling dashi stock.

Stir the miso mixture and remaining stock into the soup.

Let the soup simmer for 15-20 m, until the potatoes are soft. Add the watercress and snow peas. Boil gently for another 3 m.

Add the lemon juice to the soup.

Ladle the soup into bowls.

Garnish with additional watercress and serve the soup hot.

*Use chicken or mushroom stock

Cod & chorizo

For ➍

1 fennel bulb, halved & thinly sliced, fronds reserved (about 200-250 g)

140 g Spanish chorizo, cut into 1 cm slices 

4 skinless cod fillets (each 120 g) 

salt & freshly ground pepper 

85 g cherry tomatoes, halved, or quartered if large

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 tbs unsalted butter 

10 cl dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

1 small orange 

extra-virgin olive oil & toasted sliced baguette, for serving

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Fold 4 30x40 cm pieces of parchment (or aluminum) in half; unfold and place one-quarter of fennel and chorizo along each crease. 

Season both sides of fish with salt and pepper; place one fillet on each package. 

Top with tomatoes, garlic, butter, and wine. 

Remove zest from orange with a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice into strips to yield 1 tbs. Scatter evenly among packages. Squeeze 1 ts juice over each package. 

Fold parchment over to enclose, making small overlapping folds along edges to seal. 

Transfer to 2 rimmed baking sheets. Roast until parchment puffs and fish is cooked through, for 20 m. 

Place each package in a shallow bowl and open carefully, allowing steam to escape. 

Serve with fennel fronds, a drizzle of oil, and toasts.

Gnocchi with tomato & fennel

For ➋

1 vegetable stock cube

pepper & salt

1 ts rosemary

1 large fennel

250 g gnocchi

130 g raw ham*

1 toe garlic

150 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil

60-70 g Parmigiano, finely grated

Bring a cooking pot with water and the stock cube to the boil.

Place the fennel on the side, cut off the lower end and then cut it in half. Cut into fine rings. Keep the fennel greens aside. Cut the ham into rough slices.

Cook the fennel and gnocchi in the pot for about 2 m until tender and drain. **

Put the same pot back on the fire and add a spoonful of tomato oil. Fry the ham until crispy.  Fry  the gnocchi, fennel and garlic together. Add the tomatoes a little later. Add baked ham.

Serve and sprinkle generously with poor man's parmigiano and fennel greens.

* Or try chorizo ​​sausage, cut into cubes.

** Or steam the fennel almost done in the microwave (5-7 m per 500 g).

Braised fennel with lemon

For ➋ or ➍ (as side dish)

3 fennel bulbs, quartered

15-25 cl water**

8 cl olive oil

2 ts ground fennel seeds

2 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice* 

1 tbs chopped fennel fronds

Arrange the fennel in a large skillet. Add enough water to the pan to come at lease halfway up the sides of the fennel. **

Drizzle the fennel with the olive oil, sprinkle with the fennel seeds and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Bring the fennel to a simmer, cover and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan every now and then, until the fennel is tender, 20-30 m.** 

Remove the lid for the last few m of cooking to allow the liquid to reduce and thicken. 

Stir in the lemon juice* and fennel fronds. 

Serve the fennel drizzled with the thickened cooking liquid. 

Serve with roasted chicken, grilled halibut or salmon, grilled or roasted meats. 

*Use fresh blood orange juice instead.

**Chop the fennel, add 4 tbs blood orange juice, 2 tbs olive oil, cover and cook in the microwave (about 7 m for 500 g fennel). Serve with cherry tomatoes and fregola, and roasted salmon.

Pesce in cartoccio (Italian fish parcel)

For ➍
4 whole fish (400 g each), cleaned & scaled*
8 tbs (10 cl) dry white wine
1 ts sea salt
1 ts freshly ground black pepper
parchment paper**
battuto:
1 large white onion, cut into thin strips
2 tbs fresh fennel fronds, chopped
2 fennel bulbs, cored & cut into thin strips
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 tbs (10 cl) extra-virgin olive oil
2 untreated lemons, sliced

Combine battuto ingredients in a large bowl.

Cut four large pieces of parchment paper** long enough to cover length of fish, and fold each in half lengthwise.

Spoon battuto on bottom halves of parchment. Put slices of lemon on top, or chop them in the battuto. Place one fish against the crease of each parchment piece, drizzle with white wine, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put slices of lemon on top, or chop them in the battuto. Cover with fennel fronds.

Fold the parchment at the bottom corner over itself. Continue folding over the previous fold to create a pleat and allow for the paper to be sealed tight. When you have formed a half circle and reached the opposite end of the crease, tuck the paper under the last fold. Place on a large baking sheet.

Bake at 180°C for 20 to 25 m or until the fish is cooked through*. Carefully tear paper** open, allowing steam to escape.

Serve with fresh pasta like cavatelli.***

*Use 4 large fish fillets (200 g each) instead, like seawolf. Adjust cooking time to 15-20 m at 200°C, (or 25 m according to thickness of the fish).
**Use aluminum foil instead.

***Use microwave baked spring potatoes, sprinkled with sea salt instead.

A battuto is a mix of vegetables and herbs that can be used to make a sauce, a stew or a soup. One of the first cookery writers to mention the dish was the great Elizabeth David in her Italian Food. She gives no full recipe, just the method and an ample suggestion of battuto. In fact, the battuto can be made of almost anything, even oranges. (The typical Ligurian battuto, a pine nut sauce for pasta, is not suitable for fish... Read the basic Roman battuto recipe or the one used for the Lazio minestra col battuto alla romana.)
Read more on fish in a parcel: Japanese seafood & vegetables, Moroccan spiced fish, fish & fennel, Burmese steamed fish, chicken or fish with lime & peppers, chicken or fish with basil & tomatoes.
Read more Elizabeth David recipes: roasted peppers, lettuce & almond salad, chicken & rice salad, poaching an egg.

Quiche with fennel & smoked salmon

For ➍

150 g smoked Atlantic salmon strips 

1 fennel 

200 g snack tomatoes 

1 roll puff pastry 

100 grated Emmenthal cheese 

1 dl milk 

4 eggs 

1 tbs butter 

1 ts dill black pepper & salt 

140 g arugula, lamb's lettuce, beetroot 

2 tbs olive oil 

1 tbs white wine vinegar

Cut the fennel in 2. Remove the hard core and cut into strips.

Cut the snack tomatoes into 2.

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.

Melt the butter in a pan and stew the fennel for 5 m. Season with salt and pepper.

Break the eggs and mix in the milk. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the puff pastry with baking paper in a cake tin. Press the edges well and remove the excess dough. Prick the pastry base several times with a fork.

Divide the fennel over the puff pastry and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Divide the salmon strips over it and cover with the egg mixture. Place the halved tomatoes on top, cut side up. Sprinkle with the dill and place 45 m in the preheated oven.

Mix the olive oil with the white wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Mix into the salad mix.

Cut the quiche into wedges and serve with the salad.

Fennel & mascarpone risotto with prosciutto

For ➍
50 g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs, heads finely sliced*
300 g risotto rice, such as carnaroli
30 cl white wine
1.2 litres vegetable stock, hot
1 tbs olive oil
80 g prosciutto, cut into thin strips
3 tbs chopped fresh flatleaf parsley**
4 tbs mascarpone
mace

Melt the butter in a large, deep frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 8 m, until softened. Add the garlic and fennel and cook for a further 5 m*. Add the rice and stir until coated in butter, then add the wine and bubble for 2-3 m. [Add some ground mace during cooking to enhance the taste.
Add the stock, a few ladlefuls at a time, stirring in each addition until absorbed. Keep ladling and stirring until the stock is used up and the rice is al dente but creamy – this will take about 20 minutes at a gentle simmer. Check the seasoning, cover and allow to rest for 2-3 m.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan, then add the prosciutto and fry for 1 minute or until crisp. Remove with tongs and set aside. When the pan is hot, add the white parts of the scallops and season in the pan. Cook for 1 me each side or until lightly golden, then add the corals and cook for 30 s. Remove from the heat. Stir the parsley and mascarpone into the rice.
To serve, divide the risotto between 4 bowls, top with the crispy prosciutto, scallops and their corals, and season with black pepper.

*Steam or microwave the sliced fennel until half-done. Add for 15 m to cooking.
**Or chop the fennel fronds.

Read tip on cooking rissoto.
Read a similar recipe with scallops.

Fennel salad with feta, pomegranate seeds & sumac

For ➍
½ pomegranate
2 medium fennel bulbs
1½ tbs olive oil
2 ts sumac, plus extra to garnish
juice 1 lemon
4 tbs tarragon leaves
2 tbs coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
70 g Greek feta, sliced
salt & black pepper

First remove the seeds from the pomegranate.*
Cut the stems with the leaves of the fennel bulbs, keep some green behind to garnish. Cut the root disc from the tuber but leave enough to hold the slices together. Cut the tuber lengthwise into very thin slices**
In a bowl, stir together the olive oil, sumac, lemon juice, herbs and some salt and pepper. Add the fennel slices. Taste whether salt and pepper need to be added, but keep in mind that the feta is already salty.
Arrange the fennel slices with the feta and the pomegranate seeds on the plate.

*It is best to halve it along the bellly. Take it firmly in your hand with the cut side facing your hand. Beat on the skin with a wooden spoon over a bowl. Do not hit too hard, otherwise you will bruise the kernels and tear the skin. Magically only the seeds fall out. Remove any white film that comes with it.
**A mandolin is super handy for this.

Chicken with peas, fennel & potatoes

For ➍
8 chicken legs
3 fennels
450 g (frozen) peas
2 shallots
½ lemon
A few sprigs basil
olive oil
black pepper & salt
for the baby potatoes:
1 kg baby potatoes
3 cloves of garlic
3 sprigs rosemary
olive oil
black pepper & coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Wash the baby potatoes (no need to peel, but cut the larger ones in half) and put in an oven dish. Add the rosemary and crushed garlic (no need to peel). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sprinkle a few sprigs of olive oil over it. Shuffle so that everything is covered with a layer of oil. Roast for 25-35 m and toss halfway through.
Heat a small splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed cooking pot or large saucepan, over medium to high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place with the seasoned side in the cooking pot or pan. Bake for about 6 ms until you have a golden brown crust. Season the other side with salt and pepper and cook for another 6 ms until you have a crispy crust here too.*
While the chicken is baking, cut the fennel into wafer-thin slices. If you have a mandolin, now is the time to use them. Keep the fennel green aside for the finish. Peel the shallots and cut into fine half rings. Place ⅙ of the fennel in a small bowl together with the shallot, lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and toss together.
Place the chicken on a plate, reduce the heat and fry the fennel in the same pan or pot for a few m. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and add a very small splash of water. Place the chicken on top and simmer under a lid for 10 m*. Add the peas and simmer for a few more m.
Mix the fennel and shallot marinated in the lemon juice with the basil leaves.
Divide among plates. Finish with the fennel green and possibly some extra leaves of basil.

*Chicken might need up to 30 m to be cooked completely on the inside!

Poulet au fenouil (French fennel chicken)

For ➍
800 g boneless skin-on chicken thighs
1 ts salt
black pepper to taste
2 tbs flour
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red onion, sliced
baby fennel, trimmed & halved lengthwise (reserve any leaves for garnish)
1 bay leaf
25 cl dry white wine (like sauvignon blanc)
2 tbs crème fraîche*

Cut chicken into manageable pieces (10x10 cm).
Sprinkle the salt and pepper onto both sides of the chicken. Then dust evenly with the flour.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin-side down in a single layer (if all the chicken doesn't fit, divide it into two batches to brown). Let the chicken brown undisturbed until a brown crust forms on the bottom, about 4-5 m).
Flip the chicken and brown the other side (another 4-5 m). Transfer the browned chicken to a bowl and repeat with the rest of the chicken if necessary.
Add the garlic to the pot and sauté until fragrant.
Add the onions, fennel and bay leaf to the pot and then add the wine. Return the chicken to the pot. Partially cover with a lid and braise over low heat. Check the chicken after 20 m, if there is still a lot of liquid in the pot, continue cooking for another 10-15 m until the chicken is tender and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce.
Add the crème fraîche to a small bowl and whisk in some of the hot braising liquid. This step tempers the crème fraîche and prevents it from curdling. Pour this tempered crème fraîche back into the pot and stir to combine.
Serve the chicken with some chopped fennel leaves.

*Replace with yogurt