Harmony Valley Farm: June 23, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Fennel

Summer is officially here and what better way to celebrate than with strawberries! This is likely our peak week of strawberry harvest, so indulge yourself in all things strawberry such as this recipe for Double Strawberry Pretzel Pie! If you want to balance out the sweetness, you could also enjoy a Green Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.

We are also celebrating summer with some new early summer vegetable selections including this week’s featured vegetable, Fennel! This week I included two simple recipes for fennel. The first is a popular one that we featured back in 2013. Since we have quite a few new members I wanted to revisit this recipe for Pasta with Golden Fennel (See Below). Personally, I enjoy fennel in raw salads, so this recipe for Kohlrabi Slaw with Fennel (See Below) caught my eye. If you are looking for some different or unique recipes using fennel, I encourage you to check out our blog post from 2019 where I included an extensive list of fennel recipe ideas!

We also started harvesting more zucchini this week, and hopefully cucumbers by the end of this week! It’s time to pull out your favorite zucchini recipes. One thing I like about zucchini is that it is very versatile and since it is mild-flavored, it can be used in a lot of different ways such as this recipe for Zucchini Potato Frittata and this Summer Squash & Basil Pasta.

I’m going to wrap up this week’s commentary, but I hope you have a fabulous week with lots of good meals! Before I go, I also wanted to mention that I would love to have some member input this year with regards to some of your favorite recipes. So, if you have a favorite summer vegetable recipe, please send it my way. Perhaps it will be one of our featured recipes this summer! Take care and have a great week!

Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Fennel

by Andrea Yoder

Fennel was not in my vegetable repertoire growing up in central Indiana. I really wasn’t exposed to it until my college years and even then, I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it! Over the years, I have come to appreciate and look forward to fennel every year, and even sometimes miss and crave it in the off season! Fennel is often one of those vegetables that people either love or are still learning to like. There are many ways to utilize fennel and every year I encourage those in the latter group to approach fennel with an open mind and consider trying it in a new recipe. For many of those who have taken me up on this suggestion and ventured outside of their comfort zone, they’ve actually found ways to prepare fennel that they really enjoy! Back in 2019, I curated an extensive list of recipes to guide members in finding ways to utilize all parts of fennel. If you don’t have a recipe in mind this week, or this is your first time utilizing fennel, I encourage you to refer back to that blog post and take advantage of that list. So, with that little dose of encouragement, lets take a look at this fragrant, feathery vegetable!

One of the unique characteristics about fennel is that all parts of the plant above ground are usable, which is why I like to call it “The Three In One Vegetable.” The white bulb is the most commonly used portion, but the stalks and feathery fronds that extend from the bulb are also edible. The stalks can be more tough and fibrous, but they have a lot of flavor. The feathery parts that resemble dill are actually called fronds. They have a mild flavor and can be used more like an herb.

Fennel in the Field

Fennel may be eaten raw and cooked. It pairs well with a variety of ingredients and flavors, so when you’re looking at recipes, you’ll likely see similar ingredients show up time after time. Fennel pairs well with lemons and oranges as well as herbs such as dill, parsley and basil. It also plays well with beets, tomatoes, celery, onions, carrots, potatoes, pomegranate, apples, stone fruit and berries. It is often used in dishes along with Parmesan, cream and white wine which come together to make a delicious sauce. Lastly, fennel pairs very well with seafood, especially in soups and chowders, and pork products including sausage, pancetta, prosciutto, fresh pork cuts and more. While most think of fennel as a vegetable to use in savory dishes, it can also be used in sweet preparations paired with honey, citrus, berries, etc.

The stalks and bulb typically have the strongest flavor. If you enjoy the flavor of fennel, you’ll likely enjoy it raw. I have one very important point to make about eating fennel raw. It must be sliced very thin, like paper thin! Fennel bulb is very fibrous and dense. If you slice it thinly it is more tender and enjoyable to eat, plus it mingles better with other flavors in the dish. In its raw form, fennel bulb is often used in simple raw salads and can also be used in fresh salsas, pickled, or preserved in alcohol to make your own digestif. When you cook fennel, the essential oils that give it its distinct flavor and aroma volatilize and the flavor and aroma of fennel mellow and become milder and sweeter. Thus, those who find the flavor of fennel too strong when eaten raw often prefer to prepare fennel by cooking it. Fennel is delicious when roasted, simmered into sauces and soups, or sautéed and then added to recipes such as meatballs, warm grain salads, compotes, etc.

Photo from wholefoodbellies.com

The stalk may be eaten, but seldom is. Rather it is often used for flavoring. I like to save the stalks and add them to vegetable or meat broth or just stick the whole stalk directly into a pot of soup to flavor it while cooking and then pull it out before serving. It can also be used as a stirring stick for cocktails or use it to flavor water, lemonade, etc. In a previous year we featured a recipe for Candied Fennel Stalk that is quite tasty. It’s a great treat to munch on after a meal to help aid with digestion and appeal to that desire for something sweet. Last but not least, let’s talk about the mild, feathery fronds. Chop them up and use them as an herb-like garnish on salads, stirred into soups, cooked rice or as a final topping on a pizza. You can also blend them into smoothies and drinks or use them to make a cocktail. They may also be used to make Fennel Frond Salt or Fennel Frond Pesto, using only fennel fronds or you could blend in some fresh basil or parsley as well. Fennel frond pesto would make a lovely sauce for salmon, toss it with pasta, use it as a sandwich spread or mix it with mayonnaise and make a dipping sauce for fish or chicken strips!

Fennel should be stored in a plastic bag or other closed container in the refrigerator to keep it crisp until you are ready to use it. Take the time to wash the fennel bulb well before using it. Sometimes a little dirt can get in between the layers of the bulb as it grows. The layers of the bulb are held together by the core at its base. You may wish to leave the core intact to hold the layers together, such as when you may cut it into wedges and roast it. In other recipes where you may want the layers to fall apart, cut the core out of the base of the bulb and you’re ready to go. Sometimes I cut the fennel bulb first and then put it in a colander to wash it thoroughly.

In addition to its culinary value, fennel has some health benefits. It can soothe the stomach and GI tract, thus it’s often used to help with digestion. It can also freshen breath and has other potential health benefits including being antibacterial and working as an antioxidant to remove free radicals in our bodies. It is high in fiber and vitamin C in particular.

Pasta with Golden Fennel

Yield: 2-3 servings

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1-2 medium fennel bulbs, quartered and sliced very thinly (about 1 cup)

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Zest from one lemon

½ cup white wine

⅓ cup garlic scapes or 2 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz fettucine

⅓ cup fennel fronds, finely chopped

1-2 oz Parmesan cheese or other hard cheese for grating

Salt and black pepper, to taste

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter sizzles, add the thinly sliced fennel. Sauté for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the fennel softens and starts to brown a little bit. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest and white wine. Allow the fennel mixture to simmer until almost all of the liquid is gone and the fennel is soft and golden in color.
While the fennel is cooking, heat a pot of salted water and cook the fettucine according to package instructions until is is al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside in a warm place.
When the liquid in the fennel mixture is almost gone, add the garlic and cooked fettucine to the pan and stir to combine. Add the fennel fronds and season with salt and pepper. Cook for just a few minutes to make sure the pasta is hot. Grate the cheese into the pasta and toss it so the cheese will start melting. Serve the pasta hot with more cheese grated on top at the table.

Note from Chef Andrea:

I originally shared this recipe in our newsletter back in 2013. Since then, many members have offered positive feedback on this recipe, especially amongst those who are still learning to like fennel and find the flavor of raw fennel to be too strong for their liking. This recipe was adapted from Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors cookbook. Way back in 2007 when I first came to the farm as the Summer Farm Chef, I prepared this recipe for our farm crew. Fennel was not one of their favorite vegetables and most of the dishes I made with fennel ended up in the compost bucket. I was determined to find a way to prepare fennel that they would enjoy and this is the one dish that won them over! They loved it and I don’t remember any fennel ending up in the compost that day!

Kohlrabi Slaw with Fennel & Apple

Photo from eatingwell.com

Yield: 5 servings

1 medium fennel bulb with fronds

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp whole-grain mustard

2 tsp minced shallot or green onion

1 tsp honey

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 small apple, cored and cut into matchsticks

Chop enough fennel fronds to equal ¼ cup. Cut the bulb in half and make a V-cut on the bottom to remove the core at the base. Thinly slice the bulb, as thin as you can using either a knife or a mandolin.
In a large bowl, whisk together oil, mustard, shallot (or green onion), honey, salt and pepper. Add the fennel and fronds, kohlrabi and apple; gently toss to coat all the components.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Recipe sourced from www.eatingwell.com.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

June 23, 2022 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Fennel

Cooking With This Week's Box

Vegetable Feature: Fennel

Pasta with Golden Fennel

Kohlrabi Slaw with Fennel & Apple

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