If you can't be with the one you love
Or, if you didn't get the vegetables you love (nope, no asparagus yet), love the vegetables you get!
Shiitakes!
So I've been putting into action that plan of eating a thing until you're used to it, and it seems to be working. We got another load of agretti, and I tried a few more recipes until it was, dare I say it, tasty. Most appealing was this one:
Basically, you blanch the agretti in boiling water, then make a hot bacon dressing as for one of those spinach salads. I got past the non-leafy (what I thought was creepy) texture by treating them as green noodles, and it made all the difference. I was really psyched to be over this particular hurdle.
We got through all our greens by Sunday evening, and I actually had to go buy more to tide us over.
We'd been backing up on fennel, though, but I found this recipe for the bulbs, I think on epicurious.com, and made it Sunday. It's fantastic, and so easy.
Cut off the fennel tops (which I've used in stock, and the very fluffy bits of which make a beautiful, fresh, green tea that is supposedly good for your digestion).
Quarter them.
Put them in a pan (this is three bulbs' worth).
Sprinkle on some olive oil and turn on the heat to medium-low.
Pour on generous splashes (a half cup to a cup) of white wine and of chicken stock (I fudged the amounts and proportions), and throw on a generous sprinkle of salt.
Cover, bring to the bubble and simmer for 40 minutes or so until the bulbs are tender. The recipe said to turn them frequently, but I forgot and turned them once in the last 10 minutes and it didn't seem to matter.
They look limp and not very colorful, but they taste fantastic. I expect these would be good served atop orzo or another pasta, especially with the sauce (which remains very liquidy) reduced and a sprinkle of parmesan. But definitely garnish with parsley or something, because they are very blah looking. (They taste just as good as leftovers, but go even greyer.)
Ooh, that sounds really good. I've only ever cooked with fennel once. With halibut and grapefruit. anyway, I'll have to try this.
Posted by: africankelli | April 16, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Agretti I could eat ... But fennel soup? Licorice soup? Shudder.
Posted by: TheQueen | April 16, 2008 at 05:59 PM
You take some great food pictures. Mine always turn out terribly.
Posted by: Backpacking Dad | April 16, 2008 at 07:12 PM
The local NPR food show had Mark Bittman on a couple weeks ago. The host and Bittman went on and on about how the *only* way to cook vegetables deliciously is the low heat/long time/little liquid way you describe. They may have used a bit less liquid. And, guessing here, a lot more butter/oil. :)
Posted by: Vaguely Urban | April 17, 2008 at 12:12 PM
That fennel looks almost good to me! It's not one of my favorites, really. But my mom did make my sister and me some fennel seed tead when we were youngins with colick. Colic? Colik?
Also- why do I always read Shiitakes as shit-cakes? Makes me alllllmost not want to eat them. almost. :)
Posted by: Professor Art Nerd | April 17, 2008 at 02:30 PM
Bunnies often like fennel leafy stuff!
Alas, I have yet to try fennel myself. It's only in the last few months I prepared leeks for the first time.
Posted by: Amy | April 20, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Bunnies often like fennel leafy stuff!
Alas, I have yet to try fennel myself. It's only in the last few months I prepared leeks for the first time.
Posted by: Amy | April 20, 2008 at 11:57 AM