Fennel.

[ppanther]

I think it was Mikey who said he wanted to try using fennel. I have a few good recipes, most of which are really easy. I'll add more to this thread later, but first I will post the one we made for dinner last night!

It's called "My Friend Frank's Favorite Chicken" (or something like that), and it comes from a Rachael Ray cookbook. It's very tasty, and fairly healthy. This version is loosely based on the recipe in the book. This is an easy recipe to alter, and I don't know any exact measurements so feel free to adjust ingredients at will.


1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite-sized pieces
2-4 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 lg. fennel bulb, stalks and root end trimmed, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 lg. spanish onion, halved and sliced thin (or diced, if you prefer)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 serrano chiles, minced (careful with those, they can get pretty hot)
14 oz. chicken broth (around one small can)
around 1/2 c. golden raisins
around 1/2 c. finely chopped basil (or flat leaf parsley)
around 1/4 c. lightly toasted pine nuts (careful, they burn easily)
salt and pepper
EVOO

Place chicken pieces in bowl, toss with balsamic vinegar until all pieces are coated... set aside and prepare vegetables.

Heat ~1 tbsp. EVOO in large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook just until cooked through, remove from pan. Add ~1-2 tbsp. EVOO to pan and cook fennel and onion until softened and starting to lightly brown (around 4-5 minutes?). Add garlic and chile, cook until garlic is fragrant. Pour in broth, stir in raisins, basil, and pine nuts... return chicken to pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until broth begins to boil (won't take long).

Serve over rice:

1 c chicken broth
3/4 c water
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
3-4 thinly sliced scallions
1 c jasmine rice

Add all ingredients except rice to pot and bring to boil over high heat. Add rice and reduce heat to low... cover and cook 25 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

[Headhunter]

Fennell isn't something I've used much. I might have to give that a shot, sounds pretty tasty.

As for the Basil... It's almost time for my herb garden to rebound. I fucked up and forgot to cover my basil over a freeze. I miss having it fresh in the back yard!