Description of fennel, features of use in cooking. TOP 7 recipes for delicious dishes. Interesting facts about the plant.
Fennel is a cultivated plant that is widespread in Europe and the East. It is used both in cooking and in medicine. It begins to bloom in July and bears fruit in early August. Fennel is often confused with dill - it is even called "pharmaceutical dill". Outwardly, they are really very similar. In terms of aroma, fennel is similar to anise.
When it comes to cooking, fennel is most common in Italian cuisine. It is often used as a condiment for fish or meat dishes. It can be added to first courses or salads. It is also useful for various marinades and pickles. Do not forget that it belongs to the umbrella plants, so fresh "umbrellas" can be used simply as a decoration.
The fruits and roots of this plant are used in baking bakery and some confectionery products. The fruit is used to make tea, liqueurs, and also a tincture called "dill water".
Fennel essential oil, which has an incredibly tasty smell, is in great demand. No less popular is the sauce made from the fruits of this plant.
TOP 7 recipes for dishes with fennel
There are many ways to prepare fennel. To your attention TOP-7 recipes for delicious dishes.
Pickled fennel
Are you used to adding fennel to marinades and pickles? How about pickling it yourself? Pickled fennel is an amazing crispy appetizer with an incredible flavor that will surely brighten your table.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 230 kcal.
- Servings - 4 jars 0.5 l
- Cooking time - 1 hour
Ingredients:
- Fennel - 400 g
- Water - 500 ml
- Apple cider vinegar - 50 ml
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons
- Salt - 1 tablespoon
- Pepper peas - 1/2 tsp
- French mustard - 1/2 tsp
Cooking pickled fennel step by step:
- We rinse the fennel well under running water and cut into small strips.
- We begin to prepare the marinade. Pour water into a small saucepan, salt, add sugar, pepper and mustard. Mix well and leave on the stove until boiling.
- When the marinade boils, add the apple cider vinegar, stirring thoroughly.
- We put the chopped fennel in pre-prepared jars. They must be sterilized. Fill with marinade.
- We roll up the banks. We leave in a cold place where the sun's rays do not fall.
Baked fennel with cheese and mushrooms
Fennel can also be a main course. The fennel recipe baked with cheese and mushrooms is a vivid proof of this.
Ingredients:
- Fennel - 2 onions
- Mushrooms (champignons) - 300 g
- Olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- Grated Parmesan cheese - 300 g
- Salt, pepper - to taste
Step by step preparation of baked fennel with cheese and mushrooms
- Cut the stems and roots off the fennel. Cut the onion in half. Cut each of the halves into several more small pieces.
- Peel the mushrooms. To cut in half. If the mushrooms are small, you can bake them without cutting.
- Cover a baking dish with parchment and place the fennel with mushrooms. Salt to taste. Add some pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 180-200 degrees. Bake for about 25 minutes.
- Then remove the mold from the oven, sprinkle the cheese with fennel with mushrooms and leave in the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Decorate the dish with herbs. Best served hot.
Salmon cake with fennel
Fennel is also great for baking. Salmon pie with it is an incredibly tasty and aromatic dish that can make an incredible impression.
Ingredients:
- Fennel (onion) - 600 g
- Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
- Olive oil - 150 ml
- Dry white wine - 50 ml
- Cold smoked salmon - 300 g
- Dill - 1 bunch
- Eggs - 3 pcs.
- Milk - 100 ml
- Wheat flour - 220 g
- Baking dough - 1 tsp
- Gouda cheese - 120 g
Step by step for making salmon fennel cake:
- Cut the fennel into small cubes and fry in olive oil until crusty. Add wine to the pan and simmer the fennel until it evaporates completely. After it has evaporated, remove the pan from the stove. Transfer to a separate plate.
- Finely chop the dill. Cut the salmon into small strips. Add to them fennel, which has already cooled down, and mix.
- Beat eggs, pour in milk, a little olive oil. Add cheese.
- Sift flour. It must be administered in small portions. Mix thoroughly.
- Cover the baking dish with parchment. We spread part of the dough, then the filling and the remaining dough. Heat the oven to 180-200 degrees. We bake for 50 minutes. Readiness can be checked with a toothpick or wooden stick. Nothing should remain on it.
Red mullet and fennel pie
Red mullet and fennel pie can be a great option for both lunch and dinner. It is not necessary to use red mullet, pike perch or trout are also great.
Ingredients:
- Red mullet fillet - 6 pcs.
- Fennel (onion) - 1 pc.
- Cream 20% - 120 ml
- Eggs - 2 pcs.
- Grated Parmesan cheese - 100 g
- Butter - 50 g
- Salt, pepper - to taste
- Wheat flour - 300 g (for dough)
- Butter - 140 g (for dough)
- Egg yolk - 2 pcs. (for test)
- Thick homemade yogurt - 1 tablespoon (for test)
- Salt to taste (for dough)
Step by step preparation of the red mullet and fennel pie:
- Cut the butter into small cubes and add the egg yolks and yogurt to it. Mix everything well, salt and add flour.
- Add 50 ml of ice water. Knead the dough and refrigerate for half an hour.
- After the time has passed, roll out the dough thinly. In diameter, it should be slightly larger than the shape, by about 3-5 cm.
- Place it in a pre-greased pan. Distribute to form bumpers. Place the dough mold in the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
- After that, cover the parchment on top of the dough, press down the middle of the form with something. For example, you can use rice or beans. This is done to keep the cake in shape.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees. Next, remove the so-called cargo and parchment.
- The base for the cake is ready, now we start making the filling. Beat eggs until frothy, add cream and grated Parmesan. Pour into dough base and bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the fennel into small pieces and sauté in butter until golden brown. Divide the fish into files. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Put the fish and fennel on top of the pie and bake for another 20 minutes at 180 degrees.
Caramelized fennel
Caramelized fennel is a versatile dish. It can be used as a decoration for cupcakes or cakes, and can also be used as a snack.
Ingredients:
- Fennel - 2 small onions
- Butter - 100 g
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Dry white wine - 1 tbsp.
- Processed cheese - 100 g (for cheese sauce)
- Lemon juice to taste (for cheese sauce)
Step by step preparation of caramelized fennel:
- Melt the butter to a liquid consistency. Add oil to a well-heated frying pan, cover with sugar and leave over medium heat until caramel forms.
- Cut the fennel onion into thin small pieces. Reduce heat slightly and add fennel to the pan. Stir well to soak in the caramel.
- Pour a glass of dry white wine into the pan. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. The wine should be almost completely evaporated and the fennel should be soft. This fennel can already be used as a decoration for confectionery.
- Caramelized fennel also goes well with cheese sauce. To prepare it, you need to remove the fennel from the pan and place it in a pre-greased baking dish.
- Put melted cheese in the remaining liquid and simmer under the lid until it is completely melted.
- Next, pour the cheese sauce over the fennel. Sprinkle with lemon juice. And bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 160 degrees. The fennel should be lightly browned.
Muffins with fennel and ricotta cheese
The muffins are very tender and airy thanks to the soft ricotta cheese and incredibly aromatic thanks to the fennel seeds. They are quite filling and can be a great snack option that you can always take with you.
Ingredients:
- Ricotta cheese - 120 g
- Cream 30% - 5 tablespoons
- Sugar - 3/4 tbsp.
- Salt to taste
- Fennel seeds - 2 tablespoons (for test)
- Wheat flour - 3 tbsp. (for test)
- Baking dough - 1 tsp (for test)
- Natural yogurt - 1/2 tbsp (for test)
- Olive oil - 3/4 tbsp (for test)
- Soda - 3/4 tsp (for test)
Step by step preparation of muffins with fennel and ricotta cheese:
- First, fry the fennel seeds in olive oil. It will take no more than 3 minutes. Then leave them to cool.
- Next, you need to do the test. Yogurt must be mixed with olive oil. Add baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Add flour in small portions and knead the dough by hand.
- When the fennel seeds have cooled, they need to be ground with a coffee grinder or ground in a mortar. Mix the fennel dough.
- Next, you need to prepare the filling. Stir the cream with the ricotta cheese until smooth. Salt to taste.
- Cover the baking dish with parchment. Fill the third part of the form with dough, then add a teaspoon of the filling, put a little more dough on top. The form does not have to be completely filled with it. Cupcakes will rise as they bake.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.
- Using a toothpick or wooden stick, check the readiness. Nothing should remain on it.
Tart with fennel, dill and beetroot
This dish belongs to the most famous recipes of Scandinavian cuisine, it will certainly decorate your festive table. Thanks to such ingredients, the cake is not only incredibly tasty, but also very bright.
Ingredients:
- Beets - 300 g
- Sour cream - 220 g
- Milk - 100 ml
- Chicken egg - 2 pcs.
- Feta cheese - 200 g
- Dill - 1 bunch
- Fennel - 1 onion
- Olive oil to taste
- Balsamic vinegar - to taste
- Butter - 150 g (for dough)
- Wheat flour - 170 g (for dough)
- Whole-ground rye flour - 100 g (for dough)
- Egg yolk - 1 pc (for dough)
- Water - 4 tablespoons (for test)
- Salt, pepper - to taste (for dough)
Step by step preparation of the tart with fennel, dill and beetroot:
- First you need to boil the beets. It should be soft.
- Next, prepare the dough. Beat butter with yolk, sift two types of flour and add ice water. Knead the dough by hand and refrigerate for half an hour.
- Roll out the dough thinly. In diameter, it should be slightly larger than the form that you will use for baking. We transfer the dough to the mold. We make bumpers around the edges. We put it in the refrigerator for another half hour.
- Preheat the oven to 160-180 degrees and bake the tart base for 15 minutes.
- At this time, we make the filling. We need a small deep bowl. In it you need to beat eggs, add milk and sour cream. Stir feta with dill and add to liquid mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut the fennel into small pieces. Fry in olive oil until golden brown.
- Peel and cut the beets into small pieces.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Put the fennel and fill it with the sour cream filling. Decorate with beets on top.
- Bake in the oven for another 30 minutes.
Interesting Fennel Facts
Fennel is used in both formal and alternative medicine. It has an antispasmodic effect, helps to improve digestion, and is also used as a mild diuretic. It is often added to dry cough syrups, as fennel has an expectorant effect. Tincture from it will help well with fungal skin diseases. This plant is also commonly found in soothing herbal teas. So called "dill water" is often used to prevent bloating. It can even be given to children.
TOP 10 interesting facts about fennel:
- The seeds of this plant are often used as a flavoring agent for drinks. Thanks to this, they acquire a spicy-sweet smell.
- All parts of fennel can be used for different purposes. Umbrella-shaped leaves - for decorating dishes or as a spice, and the stem and onion - for cooking fish, meat dishes, baking various muffins, tarts, muffins.
- Fennel seeds can be used to make tea that will improve digestion. To do this, mix a teaspoon of raw materials with a teaspoon of ground ginger. Within 10 minutes, the tea will be adjusted and can be consumed. You can add a little honey to it.
- The French use fennel leaves to make mayonnaise.
- Fennel is more common and more commonly used in Asian countries.
- Fennel essential oil is often used in cosmetology. The most popular product is a plant stem tincture, which is used as a facial toner.
- Fennel tincture is often prescribed to normalize the menstrual cycle.
- Dill water is used for conjunctivitis.
- Fennel tea has a soothing effect. It is often given to children to improve sleep.
- Fennel tincture is used to eliminate bruising and partially relieve swelling.
