Braised fennel is made with fresh fennel bulbs, a humble and very often underrated and forgotten vegetable, and if you were ever put off by maybe a slightly “assertive” liquorice taste of a raw fennel, try this dish, it is like eating a completely different vegetable.

Fennel, during braising process, becomes mellow and sweet, very tender, and develops soft and mild aniseed and slightly caramelized flavour, sincerely gorgeous!

For this dish, perhaps, we can apply the famous saying “do not judge the book by its cover.”

With its appearance, maybe it does not belong to the privileged club of the most appealing looking dishes, but the taste of braised fennel is simply luxurious and elegant, worthy to be served as a part of Sunday roast.

Back home, on the Slovenian coast, where I come from, braised fennel is a very popular, very much loved dish and served with dignity for a simple midweek lunch or dinner.

Here I am sharing my mother's recipe for a traditional and regional braised fennel recipe. Try it, and next time you are shopping for your vegetables, you will be reaching out for fresh fennel...

Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of meal

few fresh fennel bulbs (1200g approximately)
5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (the best you can afford)
sea salt
black pepper
fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
100ml water or vegetable stock

Method

Wash fennel bulbs under cold running water and dry them with clean kitchen paper or towel. Place the bulbs on the chopping board and trim the hard hollow stalks which are quite tough and very fibrous. You can discard the stalks or put in the compost, or trim the stalks, cut them into pieces and use them instead of, or as an addition to the celery in soups and stews, or use them as a bed for roasted chicken, or other meats, and roasted fish.

Cut the feathery fronds from the stalks, you can use these as a garnish for this dish, or as a herb to make others dishes. Trim off the root end of the the bulb (the base of the fennel bulb) and cut it into wedges.