Food Friday

Any guesses as to what this is?

I won’t keep you in suspense. It’s Fennel Pesto in the making. I harvested a fennel bulb from the back yard, and wondered what I might do with the fennel fronds – the furry tops of the bulb. I found this recipe, and decided to give it a try.

It was quite good! The fennel taste is fairly subtle – it almost tasted a little grassy, more than anything else. The Pontiff actually liked it better than regular basil pesto. I did find it a little salty, so I’d cut down a little bit on the salt next time (I actually ended up throwing in a handful of basil leaves, just to help cut down on the saltiness). It was definitely a good use for the fennel fronds though, rather than just tossing them.

I served it with a Caprese salad (using some of my delicious garden-fresh tomatoes, of course):

I just put a blob on the side of the salad, then dipped the tomatoes in it. I also put a dollop of it on our steamed Tilapia. (It was going to be pan-fried Tilapia, but I forgot to take it out of the freezer.  When faced with frozen fish fillets, I have found that using the steamer works very well.)

As for the fennel bulb itself, I used it to make Scalloped Potatoes with Gouda and Fennel. If you don’t do dairy, or limit your saturated fat, this is definitely not the recipe for you. I don’t make dishes like this very often, but once in a while, it’s worth the calorie splurge. I made this recipe exactly as written. The fennel flavor is distinct, but not overwhelming. You could make it even more subtle by just using the fennel bulb and omitting the fennel seed. We liked it quite a bit. It had that “moreish” quality, where you keep wanting just a little bit more.

Three cheers for fennel! It will definitely be on my list to grow in the garden again next year.