Braised Fennel With Sausage Recipes

BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut the green stalks from the top of the white fennel bulbs and cut the brown, round stump from the base. Cut fronds from stalks. Chop the fronds and set aside 2 tablespoons for serving. Cut bulbs in half 4 times, making 8 wedges out of each.
• Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add fennel wedges, flat-side down, and brown for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for about 2 minutes more. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Let wine reduce by half. Pour in chicken broth and orange juice.
• Reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer until fennel is very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Plate fennel. Sprinkle with salt and garnish with orange zest and fennel fronds.

BRAISED CABBAGE STUFFED WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL

Steps:

• FOR THE SAUCE
• In a food processor, purée the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic to a coarse paste.
• Coat a large wide pan with olive oil and add the pancetta; bring to medium heat and cook until brown and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the puréed veggies, ground fennel seeds, and red pepper and cook until the vegetables become soft and aromatic and start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the wine, bring to a boil (BTB), and reduce by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and bay leaves and season with salt. Bring to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS); cook for 15 minutes. Taste to make sure it's delicious; adjust the seasoning as needed.
• FOR THE CABBAGE AND STUFFING
• Add the vinegar to large pot of well-salted water, bring it to a boil (BTB), and set up a large bowl of well-salted ice water. Add the cabbage to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender; immediately plunge it into the salty ice water. When the leaves are cool, remove them from the water and pat dry. Reserve.
• Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the onion, fennel, and red pepper and season with salt. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the vegetables until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the sausage, bread crumbs, Parm, chicken livers (if using), and egg. Season with salt, add 1/2 cup water, and mix well to combine; if the mixture seems too dry, add up to another 1/2 cup water-it should be kind of wet. Stir in the onion-fennel mixture.
• Make a 1- to 2-inch tester patty. In a small sauté pan, heat a bit of oil and cook the patty. When it's cool enough, taste it to make sure it's delicious-if it's not, reseason.
• Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat work surface. Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into each leaf. Fold the outside edges in and roll the leaf around the stuffing. Place each roll on the work surface with the seam side down so the roll will hold itself shut. Look at us, always thinking!
• Add the cabbage rolls to the sauce, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the cabbage rolls with the sauce spooned over them.

BRAISED FENNEL

Steps:

• Cut off and discard stalks from fennel bulbs, reserving fronds. Chop 1 tablespoon fronds and discard remainder. Cut bulbs lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, leaving core intact.
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown fennel slices well, turning over once, 3 to 4 minutes total.
• Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle fennel with salt and pepper, then add broth and water. Cook, covered, until fennel is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with fennel fronds.

BRAISED FENNEL WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the onion and sausage, crumbling the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Push the sausage and onion to the sides of the pan to create a clear spot in the center, and plop in the tomato paste. Let the tomato paste toast for a minute or two, then stir it into the vegetables. Toss in the fennel, and season with the salt and peperoncino. Lower the heat, cover the skillet, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel is tender and caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover, and increase the heat to cook away any excess liquid in the pan, if necessary.