Fennel Risotto Recipes

FENNEL RISOTTO WITH RICOTTA AND DRIED CHILLI (RISOTTO AI FINOCCHI CON RICOTTA E PEPERONCINO)

Steps:

• To me, fennel is a really tasty, classy and under-used vegetable. It works really well with the ricotta in this recipe and has a fantastic sweetness. Please don't buy the crappy ricotta that a lot of the supermarkets have - make sure it's light and crumbly and, if you're out of luck, a fresh goat's cheese is pretty damn good too.
• Put your fennel seeds into a pestle and mortar and bash up to a powder. Get a wide, hot saucepan, add a couple of splashes of olive oil and fry the garlic until softened, then add the bashed fennel seeds and sliced fennel. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and turn down to a medium-low heat. Place a lid on the pan and cook nice and slowly for around 20 minutes, until the fennel's soft and sweet.
• Start the risotto bianco as usual and continue through the recipe until the rice is half cooked. Half-way through Stage 3, stir in the sautéd fennel, then keep cooking the risotto until the rice is perfectly cooked.
• Bash up the dried chillies in the pestle and mortar until you have a fine powder. At Stage 4, when you add the butter and Parmesan, add the crumbled ricotta and lemon zest. Check the seasoning carefully and balance the flavour with as much lemon juice as you feel it needs to work with the fennel. Divide between your plates, sprinkle over your fennel tops and dust with the ground chilli. Grate over some fresh Parmesan at the table.

FENNEL & LEMON RISOTTO

Steps:

• Chop any green leafy fennel fronds and set aside. Cut off the stalk-like fennel top, remove the outer layers and finely chop both. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan and cook the onion, garlic and chopped fennel until soft but not coloured.
• Add the rice and stir for 1 min. Pour over most of the wine and simmer until evaporated. Add 500ml of the hot stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring between each addition until it is absorbed.
• Meanwhile, slice remaining fennel and fry in knob of butter until browned. Add remaining stock and wine and cook until tender.
• When the rice is cooked, stir in the zest, Parmesan and some seasoning. Take off the heat and set aside, covered, for 2 mins. Serve in bowls, topped with the fennel fronds and cooked fennel, stirring the prawns through if using.

FENNEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Cut the base off of the fennel bulbs, and cut a cone shape into the base to remove the core. Slice the fennel vertically (lengthwise) into 1/4 inch thick slices.
• Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Cook onions and fennel in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in the rice; cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted. Stir in 1 cup vegetable broth; continue stirring until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Repeat this process with remaining broth, stirring constantly. Incorporating the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all.
• Stir in cream, 3 tablespoons Parmesan and parsley, and cook until rice is done and risotto is thick and creamy. Season to taste with black pepper. Divide risotto among 6 bowls, and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

CARAMELIZED ONION AND FENNEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat oil and 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. When butter is melted, add sliced onion and fennel and stir until coated. Cover the pan and cook slowly until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in salt and sugar. Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently until onions are dark brown, about 25-30 minutes.
• Simmer broth in a separate pot on the stove.
• To the onions and fennel, add garlic, Arborio rice and herbs. Cook, stirring frequently until the rice is translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. When the wine is fully absorbed, add 2 cups hot broth and simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes until liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Stir in another 1/2 cup of hot broth and cook, stirring constantly until absorbed. Repeat with additional broth 2 or 3 more times, until rice is al dente. Remove risotto from heat and stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan. Serve.

SAUSAGE & FENNEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Fry the sliced sausages until browned, then transfer to a warm oven. Use the same pan to melt the butter and add the sliced fennel and fennel seeds. Fry until the fennel softens, then add the crushed garlic clove and cook for 1 min more.
• Tip in the risotto rice and stir until popping. Pour in the white wine, let it sizzle for 1 min, then slowly add the chicken stock, ladle by ladle, stirring all the time on a low heat until cooked through.
• Finish with the parmesan and top with the sausage slices and fennel fronds.

EASY SAUSAGE & FENNEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and fennel and fry for 10 mins or until softened. Raise the heat. Squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins straight into the pan and fry for 5 mins, or until turning golden brown. Stir through the fennel seeds, garlic and thyme and fry for a further minute.
• Tip in the rice and fry for 1 min. Pour the wine into the pan and boil the liquid until reduced by half. Add half the stock and cook until absorbed, stirring constantly. Add the remaining stock, a ladleful at a time, and cook until al dente and not too thick in consistency, stirring constantly for 20-25 mins. Season with black pepper.
• Stir through the cheese and lemon, then spoon into four bowls and scatter over the extra thyme leaves to finish.

BOURSIN AND FENNEL SEED RISOTTO

Steps:

• In a small saucepan bring broth and water to a simmer and keep at a bare simmer.
• In a heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately high heat and stir in rice and fennel seeds, stirring until coated with butter. Add vermouth and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Continue cooking and adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each portion be absorbed before adding next. (After last broth addition rice should be al dente and creamy.)
• Remove pan from heat and stir in Boursin, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.

FALL: FENNEL RISOTTO

Steps:

• Instead of adding the 2 tablespoons butter from the Basic Risotto recipe at the end, melt them at the beginning of cooking in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Then, add the fresh fennel, onions, and ground fennel and cook, stirring frequently, until the fresh fennel is soft and the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water, if necessary, to ensure that the vegetables do not brown. Set aside and proceed with the recipe as directed
• Add the cooked fennel mixture to the risotto when you add the Parmesan at the end.