Braised Fennel and Onion Pasta Sauce

"Fennel is a delightful veggie tasting like licorice. If you use this over pasta you may want to thin it a bit with a bit of the pasta water. It is equally lovely as a side dish"
 
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Ready In:
40mins
Ingredients:
8
Serves:
4
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ingredients

  • 14 cup virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons garlic, fresh minced
  • 1 12 lbs fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 12 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth or white wine)
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, use oregano if you prefer it (substitute with 1 tsp dried)
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (tarragon vinegar is good too)
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directions

  • To prepare the fennel trim the feathery leaves and the ouside hollow stalks (chop the fronds for garnish or dry for seasoning).
  • You are now left with the fennel bulb.
  • Next trim off the hard bottom and cut a thin slice off one side of the fennel.
  • Lay it on the flat side and cut into thin slices.
  • Pour the oil in a skillet that has a lid.
  • Over medium heat saute the onion and cook until translucent about 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and fennel cook stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
  • Add liquid, (not the vinegar) salt& pepper, cover and cook over medium low heat until the fennel is just tender.
  • About 10 minutes.
  • If the mixture is quite wet cook longer with the lid removed.
  • Stir in the herb& vinegar and adjust seasoning.
  • Serve over pasta or as a side vegetable dish.

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Reviews

  1. This was a delightful recipe. I did as the recipe poster suggested and added just a splash of the pasta water to thin it a bit so it would make a nice sauce. I served this over potato gnocchi, which it complemented nicely. I think next time I will opt for the tarragon vinegar instead of the balsamic vinegar - I felt the balsamic tasted just a little too pronounced in this. But it was still a very good recipe - worthy of a place on a restaurant menu. I grated fresh Paremsan cheese over the top and drizzled with a smidge of truffle oil as a garnish. If you are a fennel lover, you will enjoy this dish very much.
     
  2. I added a few slices of prosciutto and some fresh Italian parsley and forgot to put the balsamic vinegar in. Yummy supper!
     
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Tweaks

  1. This was a delightful recipe. I did as the recipe poster suggested and added just a splash of the pasta water to thin it a bit so it would make a nice sauce. I served this over potato gnocchi, which it complemented nicely. I think next time I will opt for the tarragon vinegar instead of the balsamic vinegar - I felt the balsamic tasted just a little too pronounced in this. But it was still a very good recipe - worthy of a place on a restaurant menu. I grated fresh Paremsan cheese over the top and drizzled with a smidge of truffle oil as a garnish. If you are a fennel lover, you will enjoy this dish very much.
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

On January 10 2010 I will celebrate 9 years of Life with Zaar. I can't imagine being without it! It has become part of my daily routine. I feel very privileged to be one of the hosts on the Photo Forum. Taking photos of my culinary efforts is a full time hobby and I love it. My friends all know what to expect when they come to dinner "Are you finished taking pictures?" or "Did you get a photo of so & so?" I never let them wait too long and the food is NEVER cold! I now have over 6000 photos on Zaar - some fairly good and some definitely not so good. I am happy to say that practice does help. My roots are in Vancouver BC Canada - a very beautiful city that holds many wonderful memories for me. In 1990, I decided that for my retirement years I may want to settle in a smaller community and found a slice of heaven in the North Okanagan B.C. I love living here but every once in a while I miss the bright city lights, the Broadway shows and some of the small wonderful ethnic restaurants that Vancouver abounds in. That is easily resolved. I just take a trip to the coast, visit with friends for a weekend see a show and feast on Dim Sum or other specialty foods. I am getting a bit long in the tooth but was a very adventurous person. I have river rafted Hell's Gate on the Fraser river, been up in a glider over Hawaii (no not a Hang Glider!), gone hot air ballooning in the Napa Valley & the Fraser Valley, driven dune buggies on the dunes in Oregon, Para sailing in Mexico and tried many other adventurous, challenging, fun things. I have yet to try bungee jumping or sky diving. I may do them yet. I love to travel and experience other cultures. Mexco has been a favorite haunt. I have visited that lovely country many many times. Australia is another favorite as is England! In the past 16 months I have taken off 61 pounds and feel wonderful. I am off all medications and all systems are GO! In years I may be 79 but in spirit I am still in my forties. We are only as old as we allow ourselves to feel. Always think positive. Do something a bit challenging every day & always do something silly every day. Be a kid again! Laugh every day - it is internal jogging. Here are a few of my photos <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" allowNetworking="all" allowFullscreen="true" src="http://w615.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w615.photobucket.com/albums/tt233/Bergylicious/ABM slideshow/d95d7a18.pbw" height="360" width="480">
 
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