Fennel Recipe: Fennel Parmesan

I don’t often bring you a fennel recipe, but this fennel Parmesan is a must try.

Fennel is a vegetable that isn’t used in North America as much as other vegetables.

It is a much loved Italian vegetable, so those of us of Italian descent are familiar with it. It is also used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. But for the rest of us, it hasn’t had a chance to shine all that much.

So what is fennel anyway?

What is Fennel?

Fennel is a flowering plant that is in the same plant family as carrots, parsley and celery.

It is known for its licorice or anise flavor that can be mild or quite distinct, depending on your fennel.

The vegetable fennel has a large white bulb at it’s base with light green stalks shooting out of the top of it. Its “leaves” are the green fronds that come out of the top of it and look very similar to dill fronds.

This is what fennel looks like when you buy it:

The bulb, stalk and fronds of the fennel plant are all edible. So are it’s seeds.

Fennel seeds are often found in Italian sausage and give it a wonderfully distinct flavor.

The bulb is the bulky bottom of the fennel plant. It is used both raw and cooked in a variety of recipes.

Sliced raw fennel is often eaten by Italians on it’s own with dressing as a salad.

The fennel stalks add a distinctive flavor to soups and broths or stews.

The wispy fennel fronds are often used as a herb in salads or as a garnish.

So why should we be eating fennel?

I am a firm believer that there is nutritional value in every natural food that grows on this planet. And that is true of this vegetable too.

Health Benefits of this Fennel Recipe

The health benefits of eating fennel can be significant.

It is a good source of nutrients like Vitamin A, potassium and magnesium.

Fennel aids in our digestion and also possesses antioxidant properties. These are two pretty good reasons to eat it right there.

As I said above, although fennel is a common vegetable to Italians and those of Indian and Middle Eastern descent, it isn’t eaten all that often in North America.

Well I think it’s time to ramp up fennel’s profile.

Let’s start with this wonderful recipe for fennel Parmesan.

If you want easy fennel recipes this is a good place to start.

How to Prepare the Fennel

Once the fennel has been washed cut off the stalks and save them for something else. (If you want to you can sauté the stalks along side of the bulb and serve them as well.)

You will notice that in the recipe it says to cut your fennel bulbs into 4 pieces each.

I think you will want to adjust that depending on the size of your bulb.

If your bulb is not large, cutting it into 4 pieces is probably fine.

If you have a larger bulb though, I would start by cutting it down the center from the top. Then cut each half into 3 pieces, or 4 if you feel that the bulb is very large.

Have a look at the finished recipe above or below to see about how large your fennel pieces should be.

I love the simplicity of this wonderful vegetable recipe. Recipes like this one let the vegetable’s own flavor shine through wonderfully.

Making Easy Fennel Parmesan

Fennel Parmesan is easy to prepare with just a few ingredients you have in your pantry already.

Garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and a bit of salt are all that you need to add to create this amazing Italian vegetable recipe.

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil, then take it out before adding the fennel pieces. Leaving the garlic in could over cook it and cause the whole recipe to taste a bit bitter. Not nice.

Add the fennel pieces and sauté them gently in the garlic flavored oil. Turn the pieces to the other side after about 5 minutes, to make sure the fennel gets nicely browned.

After about 10 minutes of cooking on low or medium low heat sprinkle the vegetable with salt. Add a bit of water, cover the pan and cook the fennel on low heat for 15 minutes or so.

At this time the fennel should be tender and all of the water will be absorbed.

You are ready to serve this wonderful side dish recipe. Just place the fennel pieces on a serving plate and grate fresh Parmesan cheese over it all.

Serve and enjoy.

You can serve this fennel recipe with so many things. It’s great with grilled or steamed fish or chicken.

I like having a lot of vegetables at dinner, so even if I am having pasta I will often serve cooked vegetables as well as a salad with my pasta. This recipe would be perfect alongside pasta.

Look for more Italian recipes on the site here. You will find a lot of ideas for what to serve with fennel Parmesan.

Here is a fennel salad recipe, with oranges and olives.

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