Braised fennel with rosemary

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
12 Garlic cloves; peeled
4 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive oil
4 larges Or 8 small fennel bulbs* about 4 pounds
⅓ cup ;Water
8 Sprigs fresh rosemary
12 Brine-cured black olives
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Lemon slices; for garnish

Directions

*Fennel is frequently called anise in Louisiana, a reference to its licorice taste, but it bears no resemblance to the actual anise plant, which is grown primarily for its seeds.

Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil in a small pot and blanch the garlic cloves for 3 to 4 minutes; drain. Heat 1 tb. of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat and brown the garlic until golden all over.

Cut the leaf stalks and the hard butt ends from the fennel bulbs, leaving just the bulbous stem, a piece 2½ to 3 ½ inches long.

Halve the small bulbs lengthwise; quarter the larger bulbs.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining oil and the water over medium heat. Add the fennel in a single layer and the rosemary. (If you have more fennel than your skillet can accommodate in a single layer, save half the oil and rosemary to cook with half the fennel in a second batch.) Cover and cook the fennel, turning once or twice, until water cooks away and the fennel is tender and browning, about 15 minutes. If the fennel begins to brown before it feels tender, add a little more water; if it becomes tender before browning, raise the heat or take off the lid to speed browning.

When the fennel is tender and browned, add the garlic and olives to warm through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon slices.

The authors write: "When Franklin Adams was 3 ½ years old, his pediatrician saw some of his drawings and predicted he would become an artist. He was right. Franklin designs buildings and does imaginative renovations and graphic design projects, but sculpture is his first love. 'Each time I start a piece, it's an invitation to put together a lot of good things and get something brand new,' he says.

'I like to take very simple, commonplace materials and make magic out of them.'

"Franklin has the same approach to food. 'I go to the store and see what's there. Tasso (smoked pork loin) or some crayfish, for example, will inspire me.' There's also a definite Mediterranean influence in the Adams kitchen, where rosemary, pine nuts, and garlic are favorite seasonings. 'I like heady flavors, hefty peppery tastes, and strong cheeses,' he admits. Franklin found dried herbs quite satisfactory until he discovered fresh herbs on a trip in the Pyrenees with a friend. 'We stopped for a picnic and the 'grass' was thyme,' he recalls with delight. Now New Orleans markets provide the fresh herbs Franklin insists transform the simplest foods into the robust dishes he loves."

From Franklin Adams/New Orleans, LA in "Cooking with Herbs" by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1989. Pg.

75. Posted by Cathy Harned.

Submitted By CATHY HARNED On 10-04-94

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