Braised fennel with bacon, lemon and vermouth
When cooked slowly, fennel turns buttery soft and its aniseed flavour mellows, allowing it to carry the strong flavours of citrus and bacon in this recipe
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
Ingredients
- 2fennel bulbs
- 100g cubed pancetta
- 150ml bianco vermouth
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 1small lemon , cut into wedges
- 1rosemary sprig
- 2tsp honey
- 2tbsp butter
- green salad or wild rice , to serve
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Wash and trim the bases of the fennel. Remove and reserve any green fronds, then cut the bulbs into slim wedges through the core.Step 2
Tip the wedges into a baking dish, add the pancetta, vermouth, stock, lemon wedges, rosemary and honey. Season well. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hr-1 hr 30 mins or until a knife can easily be inserted into the fennel and it feels soft. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fennel and bacon to a platter.Step 3
Put the tray on the hob and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Check for seasoning, adding more salt, lemon juice or honey if needed. Stir in the butter, then spoon over the fennel. Garnish with any reserved fennel fronds, then serve with salad or wild rice.