Fun with Fennel

I would fail as an Iron Chef tonight.  I did not come up with a way to make fennel the star of the show - but it makes a great second banana!   Okay, more like a great second licorice.

I used some Lundberg box-mix risotto (gluten-free).  I can make my own risotto from scratch, with arborio rice, but I find it tedious to mind it while it's cooking.  Nothing but a risotto mix or arborio rice will make this recipe turn out right. Anything else will give you rice with fennel, for no apparent reason.

Whether you're going homemade or boxed, start with 1/2 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a pan, over medium heat.  Take out a head of fennel (not seeds or the ground stuff).  Cut it vertically through the center and remove the tough core (it will be obvious to you where the core is; it's solid and often brighter green than the rest of the fennel).  Also, remove any tough outside stems or stalks.  It should taste and feel in your mouth like a lightly-licorice-flavored celery.  Try a bite of it raw as a taste.  It's lovely raw in salads with parmesan cheese.

Slice the fennel very thinly (like an onion).  Put it into the hot fat and toss it around for 3-5 minutes, or until transluscent and/or slightly browned.  Add and cook the risotto according to either package directions or according to your recipe.  This is a brilliant side for chicken, or fish.  Please, enjoy.  Tomorrow, in honor of Castroville's annual artichoke festival (see also Marilyn Monroe), I'll be making some artichoke dishes I hope you'll love!

Oh, and I'm walking a 10k in the morning...just before I'll see you at the market!!!