Best Oven Braised Fennel Recipes

OVEN-BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS WITH FENNEL AND CASTELVETRANO OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and black pepper. Brown chicken in the hot oil, about 5 minutes per side. Meat will still be pink inside. Transfer chicken into a bowl, leaving drippings in skillet.
• Turn heat down to medium; cook fennel, onion, and fennel seeds in the hot oil, stirring occasionally, until onion and fennel begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Stir garlic, thyme, and chile de arbol pepper into fennel mixture. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 more minute. Stir white wine into fennel mixture, scraping up and dissolving any browned bits of food on the bottom of the skillet.
• Pour tomatoes with puree into skillet and bring to a boil. Break tomatoes into large chunks with a wooden spoon; adjust salt and pepper. Add chicken thighs, any accumulated drippings from chicken, and olives to the skillet and stir to combine.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until the chicken thighs are no longer pink inside, about 45 minutes. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fennel greens, flat-leaf parsley, and lemon zest.

OVEN-BRAISED SALMON WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Run your fingers down each salmon fillet to locate the pin bones and pull them out with tweezers or needle-nose pliers. Put the fillets in 2 large roasting pans. Pour half of the wine and half of the Pernod around the salmon in each pan. Scatter half of the sliced fennel over each fillet. Roast until salmon is just cooked through, about 30 minutes, basting from time to time.
• Using 2 long spatulas, carefully transfer the fillets to platters. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the watercress with the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the watercress around the salmon. Chop the fennel greens, and sprinkle them over the top.

OVEN-BRAISED SHORT RIBS WITH FENNEL

Steps:

• 4. If necessary, rearrange the oven racks to accommodate the large size of the pan. Preheat the oven to 325°F. 5. Add the wine and bay leaves to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and again bring to a boil, breaking up the tomatoes with the side of a large metal spoon. Add the browned ribs and any juices that accumulated in the bowl. Turn the ribs to coat them evenly with the tomato mixture. 6. Cover and braise in the lower half of the oven for 1 1/2 hour. Add the potatoes and continue to braise for 1 hour, until the meat is pulling away from the bones. 7. Use a slotted spoon or spatula and tongs to lift the ribs from the pan to a platter. Discard any loose bones. Remove fat and connective tissue. 8. Pour the remaining contents of the Dutch oven through a strainer set over a large bowl. Discard the bay leaves and then spoon the strained vegetables onto the ribs. Cover the platter with aluminum foil and keep warm in the turned-off oven. 9. Use a large metal spoon to spoon off and discard the fat that comes to the top of the bowl and then pour the juices into a small saucepan, or pour the juices into a fat separator and then pour the defatted juices into a small saucepan. Alternatively, chill the strained juices for several hours or overnight and lift off the fat that solidifies on top with a skimmer. Refrigerate the ribs and vegetables, tightly covered, and then return them to the Dutch oven with the defatted juices and slowly reheat over low heat. 10. Reheat the juices to a simmer, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour the juices over the short ribs and vegetables and serve hot.

OVEN-BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking dish.
• Remove the stems and fronds from the fennel, quarter the bulbs and slice them one-half-inch thick. Arrange the slices in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Dot with one tablespoon of the butter.
• Pour the simmering chicken stock around the fennel, cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven to bake about 40 minutes, until tender. Uncover the fennel, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake 10 minutes longer, until lightly browned and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• While the fennel is baking, brown the bread crumbs in remaining butter in a skillet and set aside. Just before serving the fennel sprinkle with the bread crumbs.