Best Braised Fennel And Parsnips Recipes

BRAISED FENNEL WITH LEMON

Steps:

• Trim the tops and bottoms from the fennel bulbs, reserving about 1/4 cup of the fronds. Halve the bulbs; cut out and discard the tough cores. Cut into 1-inch thick wedges.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add the fennel and cook, stirring once, until the fennel is browned, about 7 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper. Lower the heat to medium, cover the skillet, and cook until the fennel is very tender, adding more liquid if needed, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, zest half the lemon and juice the whole lemon; chop the reserved fennel fronds.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and uncover. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Scatter the chopped fronds over the top.

ORANGE-BRAISED CARROTS & PARSNIPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Trim and scrub or peel the carrots and parsnips. If the parsnips are thick, slice them in half or quarters lengthwise so they are about the same width as the carrots.
• Place the carrots and parsnips in a pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, that's large enough for the vegetables to lie flat. Add the shallots, orange zest, 3/4 cup of the orange juice, the olive oil, thyme, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
• Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover tightly with a lid or heavy-duty foil. Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, until the carrots and parsnips are very tender. Discard the thyme bundle. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of orange juice and the parsley and season to taste. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH MUSTARD GREENS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over low heat. Add the fennel, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel is light brown around the edges and soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour in the wine. Turn up the heat and cook until the wine is evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the mustard greens and cook, stirring until wilted. Serve immediately.

ROMAN-STYLE BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• In a 12-inch high-sided skillet, melt butter over medium. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add oil and garlic, and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add fennel, wine, lemon juice, oregano, parsley and 1½ cups of water, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high, stirring to evenly coat the fennel in the liquid. Arrange the fennel in an even layer.
• Cover, reduce heat to medium and braise until fennel is tender, about 30 minutes, stirring and flipping halfway through.
• Transfer fennel to a serving platter, and spoon over the shallots and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve warm or at room temperature.

BRAISED PARSNIPS WITH MAPLE SYRUP AND PECANS

Steps:

• 1. Heat butter a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts and starts to get brown, add the pecans, cumin and coriander. Stir the pecans and "toast" them with the spices for a minute. Remove the pecans from the pan and set aside. Add the maple syrup and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
• 2. Place the parsnips in a large skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook the parsnips 15 to 20 minutes or until the parsnips are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Note: I often find recipes don't give me enough liquid to work with. Parsnips can vary in size so feel free to add a splash of water to finish the cooking process, if needed. Drain off any remaining liquid. Sprinkle the parsnips with salt and toss with reserved maple syrup mixture and seasoned pecans. Serve immediately.

CREAMY BRAISED PARSNIPS WITH SAGE

Steps:

• In a large straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add parsnips and saute until lightly browned, 4 minutes. Add broth and sage and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until tender, 8 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high, and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in cream and season with salt and pepper.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH MEYER LEMON AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Trim the fennel and roughly chop 1 tablespoon of the fronds. Halve each bulb through the core, then cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough oil to coat the pan. When hot, cook half the fennel, without moving, until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining fennel, adding more oil to the pan if needed.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the fennel, broth, lemon rind and juice and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Raise the heat to high and reduce the sauce until syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Fold the sauce and reserved fronds into the fennel and top with Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

PARSNIP FENNEL PURéE

Steps:

• In a saucepan cover parsnips and fennel with salted water and boil, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until very tender. Drain vegetables well in a large sieve. In a food processor purée hot vegetables with butter and salt and pepper to taste.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Prepare the bean purée: Add the beans, 2 1/2 cups Parmesan broth, garlic, salt and white pepper to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to an active simmer and cook 20 minutes, until there is only about 1/4 inch of broth covering the beans. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and purée until smooth, creamy and spoonable. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
• Prepare the braised fennel: Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and cut each half lengthwise into 3 equal wedges. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the fennel wedges in a single layer, cut-side down. Sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook on the opposite cut side for 3 to 5 minutes. (If your fennel doesn't all fit in the pan, cook the remaining pieces with the shallots in the next step. Do not crowd the pan.) Transfer the cooked fennel to a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook the shallots on their flat side for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until they have a nice sear. Lower the heat if it starts to smoke.
• Return the fennel to the pan, season with kosher salt, sage and red-pepper flakes. Add 1 cup Parmesan broth, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan, until the vegetables are just tender but cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
• Divide the bean purée among shallow bowls, spreading it in an even layer, and season with another crack of white pepper. Top with braised vegetables and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with tender fennel fronds and serve.