Serves 6

2 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
50g butter
1kg fennel, finely sliced
2 medium onions, finely sliced
1 small potato, finely sliced
2 tbsp Pernod
750ml warm chicken stock (ideally fresh)
100ml double cream
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste

Place the fennel seeds and star anise in a muslin bag and tie it up to make a bouquet garni. Set a large pan over a medium heat, melt the butter and cook the sliced fennel, onion and potato with the bouquet garni, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the Pernod and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes to reduce it. Now add the warm stock to the vegetables, then simmer for 10minutes. Remove the bouquet garni. Blitz the soup using either a hand blender, a mouli-légumes or by putting batches in a food processor, then pass through a sieve. Return the soup to the pan, add the cream and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste, and serve.

from Heston Blumenthal

3 large heads of fennel, quartered, or sliced finely
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 large knobs butter
2 wine glasses vermouth or white wine
salt and black pepper

Oven 220 c. Put all ingredients in baking dish. Scrunch piece of wetted greaseproof paper over fennel (so it will bake and steam). Cook 20 mins

from Jamie Oliver the naked chef

4 med chillies
1 bulb fennel
juice 1 – 2 lemons
handful fennel tops
8 tbsps olive oil
salt and pepper

finely chop chillies. gtrim and finely dice fennel. mix all ingredients

To make it more provencal, I’d probably substitute white wine vinegar for the cider vinegar, and might even give it a slosh of pastis. Or perhaps use some quince juice if I had some open. Although we mainly use olive oil for cooking, using butter here helps the caramelisation

From Delia again

Ingredients

4 medium-sized heads fennel
1 oz (25 g) butter
1 rounded teaspoon granulated sugar
10 fl oz (275 ml) medium cider
2 fl oz (55 ml) cider vinegar
pinch salt

You will need a wide saucepan with a lid, of about 9-10 inches (23-25.5 cm) in diameter, into which the trimmed fennel will fit snugly.

To prepare the fennel bulbs, first cut off the leafy fronds and reserve them for a garnish. Now trim off the green shoot by cutting diagonally to make a V-shape. Then slice off the root part at the other end, keeping the bulb intact, and remove any tough or brown outer layers, then slice across each bulb to cut it in half.

Then place the fennel in a fan steamer set in the saucepan with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of boiling water under it. Cover and steam for 10 minutes, then remove them from the steamer, throw out the water, wipe the inside of the pan with kitchen paper and return it to the heat.

Next melt the butter and sugar in the saucepan and when it starts to foam, stir it around the pan until the sugar dissolves, then add the fennel, cut side down. Keeping the heat fairly high, brown it for 5 minutes, then turn the pieces over and brown them on the other side for another 3 minutes.

Now combine the cider, cider vinegar and a little salt, and pour this into the pan; then, keeping the cut side of the fennel facing upwards, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 20 minutes. After that turn the fennel over again. Then continue to cook for a further 20-25 minutes (this time uncovered). Watch carefully during the last 10 minutes and test to see if it is cooked by inserting a skewer.

When the fennel is tender enough, raise the heat so that the remaining juices reduce to a glaze. Shake the pan carefully to give an even covering of the caramel glaze. Now transfer the whole lot to a warm serving dish with the cut surfaces upwards and scatter with the chopped fennel fronds as a garnish.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Winter Collection.

Ingredients

4 large red peppers
2 small bulbs fennel
1 x 14 oz (400 g) tin Italian plum tomatoes
8 dessertspoons extra virgin olive oil1 rounded teaspoon mixed pepper berries
¾ level teaspoon whole coriander seeds
½ level teaspoon fennel seeds
juice ½ lemon
finely chopped spring onion for garnish (optional)
sea salt

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

You will also need a shallow baking sheet (I use a Swiss-roll tin).

Slice each pepper in half lengthways, cutting right through the green stalk end and leaving it intact; though it won’t be eaten, it adds much to the look of the thing. Remove all the seeds. Place the pepper halves on the baking sheet, then drain the tomatoes (you don’t need the juice), and divide them into eight equal portions, placing each portion inside a pepper half.

Now pare off any brownish bits of fennel with your sharpest knife and cut the bulbs first into quarters and then again into eighths, carefully keeping the layers attached to the root ends. Now put them in a saucepan with a little salt, pour boiling water on them and blanch them for 5 minutes. Then drain them in a colander and, as soon as they’re cool enough to handle, arrange two slices in each pepper half. Sprinkle 1 dessertspoon of olive oil over each one, using a brush to brush the oil round the edges and sides of the peppers.

Next, lightly crush the pepper berries, coriander and fennel seeds with a pestle and mortar or rolling pin and bowl, sprinkle these evenly all over the fennel and peppers, and finish off with a grinding of sea salt. Then bake the peppers for about 1 hour on a high shelf in the oven until they are soft and the skin wrinkled and nicely tinged with brown. After removing them from the oven, sprinkle the lemon juice all over, cool and serve garnished with a little finely chopped spring onion or as they are.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Christmas.