Roast Tomato Soup with Mussels & Fennel / Vegetable Stock / Marinated & Broiled Sardines

Blog Post & Recipe: Simple Lessons in Roast Tomato Soup with Mussels & Fennel

So when a Sicilian cook's fishmonger was unable to supply her with all the fish she wanted for her brodu di pisci, or the family's budget didn't allow for an elaborate array of fresh fish, she had a trick. She'd use a combination of garlic, parsley, chilies, and salt pounded into a rough paste and then fried in local olive oil.

Blog Post & Recipe: How to Make Vegetable Stock

It helps to brown the veggies first, so the stock gets infused with some of the flavors from caramelization. Unlike chicken or beef stock, which needs time to extract all the goodness from the bones, with vegetable stock, you cook the stock for only an hour to an hour and half. Beyond that, the flavors begin to disintegrate.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Nasty Bits: How to Make Sardine Lovers out of Sardine Skeptics

If you can get sardines that are very fresh, the easiest thing to do is to grill or broil them so the skin chars a little. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper, and lemon or vinegar. If, however, you find that fresh sardines are still too fishy for your taste, consider a simple marinade. I use ginger to combat the fishiness, a little wine for depth, soy sauce, and a dash of salt and sugar.

Marinated and Broiled Sardines

Jugged Hare / Fennel & Pear Soup / Black Pudding Profiteroles

Blog Post & Recipe: Jugged Hare

The recipe kicks off asking for a mixture of flour, mace, cloves and allspice to roll the chunks of rabbit in before frying.

Blog Post & Recipe: Good warm, even better cold - Fennel and Pear Soup

I was standing with a fennel bulb in my hand when I saw a very ripe pear on the table and somehow my mind connected with the two and there was one - the vision of a fennel and pear soup.

Blog Post & Recipe: Black Pudding Profiteroles

Remember the Chorizo Choux Puffs? When I published the recipe on my Estonian site, then one of the readers, Ilse, suggested using our Christmas favourite, finely chopped black pudding instead of chorizo. I liked the sound of that, so nicked the idea, adding a spoonful of roasted onion flakes for an extra depth of flavour.

Trimming Globe Artichokes / Fennel Gratin / Pad Thai

Blog Post: Turning (Trimming) Globe Artichokes

Judy Rogers said it before me: choose artichokes as you would flowers- make sure they look freshly picked and young, still about to blossom rather than spent and loosely formed. Hold the petal head in your hand and squeeze. It should sound crunchy. And feel heavy for its size.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fennel Gratin

Fennel is the most wonderfully versatile vegetable. You can slice raw fennel thin and serve it with a little shaved Parmesan for a crisp salad. Or you can plop it in the oven with a little balsamic and roast it until it gets sweetly caramelized. Fennel has a special affinity for Parmesan, and in this simple gratin fennel wedges are tossed with breadcrumbs, Mozzarella and Parm, and baked until golden brown.

Blog Posts & Recipe: Pad Thai Recipe (ผัดไทย) - Part Five: Making Pad Thai (This is the final part of the series. The other four parts are linked in the post.)

The immediate goal of this series is to facilitate you in creating the version of Pad Thai which I like, using the ingredients and method commonly employed by street vendors in Bangkok, my hometown. But that's just to get you started; it's not the ultimate goal. Eventually, you will want to get to a place where you can move the noodles around in the pan with the spatulas and know just how much longer it will take for them to cook, how often to stir them, whether the heat is too low or the evaporation rate is too high, how to season it, etc.

In other words, the ultimate goal is for you to know how to make Pad Thai which is different from how to follow a Pad Thai recipe.

Ginger Soba Noodles / Pasta With Meat & Fennel Ragu / 3 Black Pudding Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: Ginger Soba Noodles Recipe

You can certainly make the dressing a day or two ahead of time. Just give it a good shake and a taste before using - then adjust the salt and balance if needed.

Blog Post & Recipe: It's the small things that make a difference - Pasta With Meat and Fennel Ragu

In this meat sauce or ragú, I have substituted the usual celery stick with fennel and added fennel seeds as well, they have a more rounded and sweeter flavour than the vegetable.

Blog Post & Recipes: Things to do with (Estonian) black pudding aka verikäkk

Verikäkk is basically a dense black pudding (also known as blood pudding or blood dumpling). It's a mixture of (usually pig's) blood, flour (rye, barley or wheat), fried onions, lard/bacon and seasonings.

Fried black pudding with sour cream ... Fried black pudding ... Fried black pudding crisps

Rosemary Roast Potatoes / Ginger & Fennel Granita / Avocado Cilantro Hummus

Blog Post & Recipe: Rosemary Roasties

They’re like a cross between chips and roast potatoes. No bad thing at all!

Blog Post & Recipe: Ginger & Fennel Granita

It has lovely heat from ginger with the light aniseed flavours of fennel seeds and a mild golden hue which makes it truly Indian!

Blog Post & recipe: Avocado Cilantro Hummus

I decided to combine my favorite food in the world… guacamole…. with some garbanzo beans and make a Avocado Cilantro Hummus ... After dipping some pita in it for a little snack, I shmeared it on a tortilla and then threw on some chopped grilled chicken, red onions and raw corn to make a little chicken guacamumus wrap.

Braised Fennel / Adobong Puti (White Chicken Adobo) / Stir-Fried Liver & Onions

Blog Post & Recipe: Braised Fennel

After 25 minutes of low-and-slow braising, it's meltingly tender. Adding chopped fronds at the last minute helps bring out the fennel's unique licorice flavor.

Blog Post & Recipe: Adobong Puti (White Chicken Adobo) for Kulinarya Cooking Club

A more common version of adobo is cooked with vinegar and soy, this recipe eliminates the soy sauce, which makes it the “white” version of adobo. Adobo is essentially a stew, usually made with chicken and pork, where the meat is simmered over and the dish is finished by pan frying the meat before serving.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Nasty Bits: Stir-Fried Liver and Onions

I know that my aunt would have stir-fried the pieces of liver with plenty of chili oil, oyster sauce, and rice wine, and leave the centers still rosy. I know that she would have sauteed the onions until they were soft and sweet and brown. She would have eaten the liver with plenty of white rice, her one weakness. She loved rice. She couldn't go a day without it. She would have taken the sauce, made rich and muddy with bits of broken-up liver, and spooned it with relish over her bowl of rice.

8 Rice Puddings / Eggplant & Rapini Meatball Subs / Fennel & Walnut Pie

Recipes: Today Is National Rice Pudding Day

Here are some of our favorite rice pudding recipes to make at home.

Double Coconut Rice Pudding
Chamomile Rice Pudding with Tea-Soaked Raisins
Coconut Mango Rice Pudding
Simple Rice Pudding
Miss Ina's Down-Home Rice Pudding
Purple Rice Pudding in Coconut Milk
Tibetan Rice Pudding
Jasmine Rice Pudding

Recipe: Eggplant & Rapini Meatball Subs

This seems like an insane amount of work for what is basically a sandwich but it is worth it, I swear. The meatballs bake for roughly the same time it takes to fry the eggplant so everything is hot, crisp and delicious at the same time.

Blog Post & Recipe: fennel

One was sliced super-thin and tossed with champagne vinegar, though cider vinegar is just as good, and drizzled with a real throat-catcher of an extra virgin olive oil. I wolfed the whole thing down, a hunk of bread chasing the dressing around the plate for lunch. Three more went in to a favourite dish of braised fennel not unlike this version, and the other two went into this rather incredible pie.

fennel and walnut pie

Chicken, Leek & Fennel Pie with Cream Cheese Pastry / Roast Beetroot & Chickpea Salad / Pandan Lamingtons

Blog Post & Recipe: Chicken, Leek and Fennel Pie with Cream Cheese Pastry

Recipe adapted from Maggi Beer’s Chicken, Grape and Champagne Pie (from the cookbook Maggi’s Kitchen and online).

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Beet & Chickpea Salad

This is an easy salad and was delicious at room temperature or cold from the fridge. The fresh mint goes really nicely with the earthy flavor of the sweet beets.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pandan Lamingtons

I adapted a recipe for plain lamingtons by adding some pandan essence paste to the sponge cake. It was quite convenient that the recipe used a chocolate ganache rather than a cocoa icing for the coating, as I was able to switch it to white chocolate ganache which was a much better match for that lovely soft & fluffy green pandan cake.

Nettle Pakoras / Watermelon & Fennel Salad / Caribbean Spinach & Coconut Milk Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: The Sting

My favourite way with nettles is to make Indian pakoras, all spicy, crispy, mysterious and green. They are a doddle to make and amazing to eat, even my 6 year old loves them.

Blog Post & Recipe: Watermelon and Fennel Salad [via]

I decided to try, pairing with fennel, whose anise notes I think go rather well with something sugary, and a little garlic & herbed goat cheese to help balance things out. A little fresh mint, olive oil, salt and pepper and I had myself a watermelon salad

Blog Post & Recipe: Caribbean Spinach & Coconut Milk Soup

Coming back to the recipe, as I started reading, first ingredient was spanish onion…well sweetish for me in a soup,second garlic…hmm…okay..followed by green chillies,coriander seeds & cumin (now we are talking)..then there was coconut milk,chicken stock and limes (I was already sold)..I must say it was the most amazing find of the day- a Caribbean spinach soup with coconut milk and known indian spices!!

Braised Lamb Shanks with Yorkshire-Style Puddings / 3 Salads / Spetsofai (Stewed Sausages & Peppers)

Blog Post & Recipe: Braised lamb shanks with Yorkshire-style puddings [via] (and, see, another blogger is also making braised lamb shanks, and the NZ Herald has a recipe for lamb shanks and macaroni)

Instead of making the usual thick, sticky sauce, which can be a little heavy, I opted for a light, almost soupy, tangy tomato and stock sauce.

Recipes & Video: Veg out

The roasted beetroot salad can be made more substantial by adding crumbled feta or goat’s cheese. All of these recipes make a great accompaniment to a Sunday roast.

ROASTED BEETROOTS, CARROTS & CAPSICUM ... ROAST FENNEL SALAD ... WARM MUSHROOM & ROCKET SALAD

Blog Post & Recipe: Spetsofai

In it’s complete simplicity, spetsofai is sausages and peppers. It traditionally hails from the Thessaly region of Greece and whilst it lends itself as a winter dish the produce it uses is more synonymous with summer. The traditional recipe is a little more spicy and uses loukaniko (the Greek word for sausage). I was making this for a friend of mine and her eight year old so anything considered spicy was off limits. I added a little oomph to the spetsofai by using some smoked paprika and a little red wine.

Ajvar / Caramelized Fennel & Onions / 5 Achar Recipes ("The Indian Answer to the Pickle")

Article & Recipe: Fall Brings Red Peppers and Ajvar, 'Serbian Salsa' [via]

The smoky and tangy spread, which also features minced garlic, olive oil and vinegar [as well as red capsicum], can be a bright garnish for a dish of grilled meats, paired with Mediterranean salads for a meze platter, or simply devoured on a piece of crusty bread threaded with olive oil.

Blog Post & Recipe: Caramelized Fennel and Onions

Fennel lovers, onion lovers, unite! And then take a shower in grated Parmesan, lemon zest, and chopped parsley. I'd like to say this is quick and easy, but it's not quick. It's long and easy, the sort of thing you can just put on the stove and give a stir every once in a while, as you cook the rest of the meal.

Blog Post & Recipes: Awesome Achars! The Indian Answer to the Pickle

In fact, achars are a singularly versatile kind of pickle. They can be made from fruits or vegetables, and be made sweet, spicy, or sour depending on the spices and flavorings used. A small amount of gingery pickle might balance the flavors in a spicy curry while a sour one can serve as an appetizer with papadum. An achar can also be mixed with fresh vegetables to make a quick salad. No matter how they're used, these pickles are intended to enhance a dish and add new dimensions of flavor.

MangoThokku - Mango Pickle ... Cauliflower Pickle ... Gajar Achaar - Carrot Pickle ... Mirchi-Ka-Achar - Green Chili Pickle ... Limbu Ka Achar - Lemon Pickle

Hot Cross Buns / Apple & Fennel Salad / 4 Recipes from the New York Times

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect hot cross buns

Hot cross buns are a festive food, rather than a common or garden breadstuff, and they deserve to be treated as such. A rich, golden dough, heavy with spice and sweet with dried fruits and sugar

Blog Post & Recipe: apple and fennel salad

The fennel is so crunchy and refreshing (I can’t believe I ever gagged eating this stuff – I was crazy, I tell you!) and the slightly tart apples shaved paper thin feel like they’ve meat to be paired with the fennel slices. Also the dill: I know being Russian, I’m a little dill-crazy, but I really think dill and fennel were meant to be together

Blog Post & Recipes: Classic American recipes come to life

Amanda Hesser, a food editor at the New York Times, spent six years compiling a book that would bring together the best recipes in the paper's history, from the 1850s to the present day. Here she picks her personal favourites.

Purée of peas and watercress recipe ... Ginger duck recipe ... Spaghetti with fried eggs and roasted peppers recipe ... Winter borscht recipe

Roasted Asparagus Soup / Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry / Lentils with Fennel, Kale & Sausage

Blog Post & Recipe: asparagus

it's super simple and a great way to use up extra vegetables.

Roasted Asparagus Soup

Recipe: Angela Hartnett's cauliflower and chickpea curry recipe

This vegetable has so many more uses than the classic cauliflower cheese and is used readily in Indian food. The secret is not to overcook it. Add it to the curry mix while it is still warm so it absorbs all the flavours.

Blog Post & Recipe: lentils with fennel, kale & sausage

This lentil dish is perfect for cold winter nights. It also contains fennel which has become one of my new favorite vegetables and is readily available all winter. If you wanted this to be a strictly vegetarian affair, just skip the sausage or trade in the meat for your favorite vegetarian sausage links and you’ll still have a fantastic meal.

Fennel with Meat (Etli Rezene) / Horchata / Filmjölk

Blog Post & Recipe: Fennel with Meat (Etli Rezene)

The Aegean cuisine in Turkey is known for its greens. It is truly unbelievable how many different green plants/weeds and in how many different ways the Aegeans can cook.

Blog Post & Recipe: Going Nuts for Horchata

The drink owes its creamy consistency to the combination of almonds, rice, and barley (and sometimes even sesame or melon seeds) that make up the recipe. Horchata is prepared by blanching and soaking almonds, pulverizing rice and barley, combining all of the ingredients in a blender and straining the mixture with cheesecloth.

Blog Post: Let’s Get Cultured! Filmjölk!

I have been making my own yogurt for about two years now and so far filmjölk, a Swedish countertop cultured yogurt is my favorite. There are several reasons why, the first is the absolute breeze it is to make. You don’t need any special equipment. To make your first batch all you need is the bacteria culture, some milk and cream and a clean mason jar.

Salmon & Pea Risotto / Fried Oysters with a Chipotle-Lime Dipping Sauce / 4 Fennel Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: Salmon & Pea Risotto

I used fresh this time but flaked smoked salmon (the kind that looks like a whole chunk of fish, not lox) works equally well.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fried oysters with a chipotle-lime dipping sauce

There are many ways to make fried oysters. I keep mine relatively simple, though I do like to coat them in a combination of both crushed saltines and cornmeal, which I think gives them an excellent texture and flavor.

Article & Recipes: Fabulous fennel: the versatile veg

Fennel bulbs are incredibly versatile. You can eat them raw, boiled, roasted or braised. They taste good undercooked, or overcooked, with vegetables, meat or fish – or just on their own.

Roast fennel and carrots recipe ... Fennel gratin recipe ... Braised fennel with red mullet recipe ... Ensalada de la noche buena recipe

Baby Octopus & Fennel Risotto / Roasted Fennel & Kabocha Vegetable Salad in Balsamic Mustard Vinaigrette / Ancho Scalloped Potatoes

Blog Post & Recipe: Baby Octopus & Fennel Risotto

To cook the octopus I use my BBQ with an open flame which prevents the octopus from ‘stewing” and gets nice char grill but you can fry it on a very high heat.

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted fennel and kabocha vegetable salad in balsamic mustard vinaigrette recipe

On the morning of, I simply cut, roast, and dress up the vegetables. They retain their texture and becomes tastier as they marinate in the dressing. I serve this salad at room temperature ... The best part that I can substitute the vegetables with whatever is in seasonal.

Article & Recipe: Anchos, or dried poblanos, provide instant flavor

The terminology can get confusing, but anchos are just dried poblanos. The simplest way to use dried anchos is to place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, wait 15 minutes or so for them to soften, then slit them to remove the seeds and stem. You can then blend the softened chile with just about anything: water, stock, olive oil, yogurt or a combo of all of those, to produce a brown paste or salsa.

Ancho Scalloped Potatoes

7 Risotto Recipes / Jackfruit Curry / Braised Fennel

Recipes: 7 Easy, Healthy Risotto Recipes

Make enough risotto for leftovers, to use in things like arancini and risotto cakes.

Basic Risotto ... Squash and Saffron Risotto ... Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Risotto ... Radicchio Risotto ... Herbed Risotto ... Seafood Risotto ... Lobster Risotto

Article & Recipe: Jackfruit curry

Jackfruit, available from Afro-Caribbean and Asian food shops and markets, has a rough outer skin and a white, fibrous interior. It is a great asset to non meat-eaters. Cooked until tender, it absorbs flavours, and has a texture not unlike chicken.

Blog Post & Recipe: Braised Fennel

The purpose of the liqueur is to intensify the licorice flavor of the fennel. If you don't have anise-flavored liqueur, or are avoiding cooking with alcohol, you can achieve a similar effect by adding a star anise pod to the stock when you are braising.

Nam Prik Pao / Which Rack Should I Put My Stone On? / Fennel, Cucumber, Seafood Salad

Blog Post: Nam Prik Pao: Thai Chilli Jam - Secret Ingredient in Thai Spicy Stir-Fries, Salads, Etc

Nam Prik Pao is jam-like in many ways.

Blog Post: The Pizza Lab: Which Rack Should I Put My Stone On?

This week I decided to explore a bit of the thermodynamics of pizza stone placement. No recipe, but I hope you find it interesting nonetheless.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fennel, Cucumber, Seafood Salad

I’m having a fennel month and not because I have a glut in my garden either. I did have some that grew into five foot high triffids and I didn’t do anything with it so for my penance for not looking after and harvesting my fennel I have to buy it at $2.50 a bulb.

Fennel Salad / Vegetable Medley / General Tso’s Tofu Sub

Blog Post & Recipe: Fancy Fennel, Simple Salad

I made it with just fennel, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper but felt that it lacked something, so added a sliced onion to the mix. It was just right.

Blog Post & Recipe: Vegetable Medley: don't throw away your random vegetables!

This is really not a recipe. The amounts I used were the ones that I had on hand: go ahead and use what you have. The idea is just to get a bit creative and to not waste your food.

Blog Post & Recipe: The Temporary Vegetarian: General Tso’s Tofu Sub

The centerpiece is a deep-fried panko-crusted rectangle of firm tofu, golden and crusty outside, and creamy inside. Mr. Kord layers the tofu between edamame purée, homemade pickled cucumbers, and a piquant sauce named after General Tso, that includes ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and chilis.

Spicy Green Tomato & Apple Chutney / Ignore Expiration Dates / FOODday picks 12 favorite recipes of 2010

Blog Post & Recipe: A proper chutney

It’s finally dawning on me that our capacity for sweet preserves is fairly limited, so I knew this year’s project would have to be savory.

English-style Spicy Green Tomato & Apple Chutney

Article: Ignore Expiration Dates

... we should focus our efforts on what really matters to our health—not spoilage bacteria, which are fairly docile, but their malevolent counterparts: disease-causing pathogens ... which infect the food we eat not because it's old but as a result of unsanitary conditions at factories or elsewhere along the supply chain.

Blog Post & Recipes: FOODday picks 12 favorite recipes of 2010

Storm Large's Roasted Vegetables With Toasty Quinoa, Tandoori Fish With Mango and Baby Spinach Salad, Margarita Bars, Bourbon Caramel Sauce, Spicy Chicken Thighs With Apricots and Olives, Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob With Salty Coconut Cream, Southwestern Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Potato and Corn Salad, Endive, Fennel and Apple Slaw, Potato-Asparagus Soup, Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler, Easy Oven-Roasted Ribs, Thai Chicken Soup