Pear Fennel Walnut Salad

-Toast 1/3 cup walnut halves in 1 tsp butter over low-ish heat until lightly browned.

-Trim the top and bottom off of 1 fennel bulb. Cut in half lengthwise and slice very thinly.

-Core 2 Bartlett pears and slice them very thinly (you can also peel them if you like).

-Juice 1 lemon.

-In a large bowl, toss fennel and pear with 1 TBS of the lemon juice.

-Whisk 3 TBS walnut oil, the remaining lemon juice and ½ tsp salt to combine.

-Arrange fennel and pears on 4 to 6 plates and drizzle each plate with dressing.

-Sprinkle walnuts on top and serve immediately.

Pasta with Fennel, Cannellini Beans, Capers and Lemon

-Boil 1# of pasta, according to package directions, Penne works well.

-Thinly slice 1-2 fennel bulbs.

(To cut up fennel, trim a thin slice off the bottom/root end of each bulb and discard it. Cut the top several inches off

the bulb so that there is mostly only white left. Stand the bulb on its root end and slice in half the long way. Then lay the cut end flat and cut in

half the long way again. Dice those 2 pieces up into thin strips.)     

-Chop up 1-2 cloves of garlic. 

-Sauté in olive oil until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

-Sprinkle with sea salt.

-Toss the vegetables with the cooked pasta and sprinkle in some capers or pitted Kalamata olives and a can of rinsed and drained

cannellini beans and cook until warmed through. 

-Add the zest and juice of 1 fresh lemon.

-Sprinkle the top of the pasta with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Serve warm.

New Potatoes with Fennel, Artichokes and Fontina Cheese

-Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

-Slice 2# potatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices.

-Slice up 2 bulbs of fennel.

-Melt 2 TBS butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

-Add the fennel and potatoes, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp dried rosemary or 1 TBS fresh (chopped) and cook 4 minutes.

-Add 1 cup low sodium chicken broth, 1 cup heavy cream, one 4 ounce jar drained artichoke hearts and 2 bay leaves and bring to a simmer.

-Cover and reduce heat, simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes.

-Discard the bay leaves.

-Transfer the potatoes to a greased 8 x 8 baking dish, and sprinkle with 1 cup grated Fontina cheese.

-Bake until top is golden, about 20-25 minutes. Let potatoes cool 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Risotto with Fennel, Peas, Fresh Garlic and Parmesan

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
-In a saucepan, combine 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and ½ cup of minced onion and 3 cloves minced garlic. 
-Cook for 3-4 minutes until onions and garlic are translucent.
-Add 1 cup Arborio rice and stir to coat. 
-Add 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock, 2 cups chopped snap peas or snow peas and 2 small chopped fennel bulbs.
-Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and then add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt.
-Transfer to a 1-quart soufflé dish and cover with another 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of finely chopped green onions and dill.
 -Bake for 35-40 minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.

Baked Fennel with Garlic, Gorgonzola and Breadcrumbs

-Horizontally slice 2 fennel bulbs into ¼ inch pieces. Be careful not to break apart the slices.

-Steam over high heat for 5-7 minutes until lightly tender. Place in a baking pan.

-Add 3 cloves finely chopped garlic, half a chopped onion and a pinch of salt over top of the fennel.

-Drizzle a splash of heavy cream over top, some crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and dot with butter.

-Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until the top is well browned.

Baked Chicken with Fennel, Carrots, Garlic and Herbs

-Position your oven rack in the lower middle and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

-Rinse and pat dry 1 whole chicken or 4 bone-in breasts.

-Rub the outside of the chicken with 1-2 TBS olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

-Cut 1 bunch of carrots and/or 1 bunch of fennel bulbs into large pieces.

-In a large baking pan combine the vegetables and add the following:

8 whole cloves of garlic

4 TBS fresh minced dill, cilantro or parsley

2 TBS olive oil.

-Lay the chicken in the baking pan on top/nestled into the vegetables.

-Add a splash of sherry or white wine to the pan.

-For breasts, bake 45-50 minutes, until juice runs clear when pierced with a fork.

-For a whole chicken, bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Arugula Salad with Tomatoes and Shaved Fennel

-Whisk 2 TBS red wine vinegar and ¼ cup olive oil in a bowl until emulsified.

-Leaving the rubber band on, cut 1-2 bunches of arugula into thirds, discarding the stems.

-Wash and spin-dry the arugula.

-Plate the arugula.

-In a large bowl mix together the following:

3 slicing tomatoes, chopped into small dice.

½ pint Sungold cherry tomatoes, chopped in half.

½ a fennel bulb,shaved into very thin slices.

¼ cup pepperoncini,drained and chopped.

¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped.

-Drizzle with dressing; toss to combine and season with salt and pepper.

-Divide amongst the plates.

-Sprinkle with some crumbled feta cheese if desired.