Braised Fennel

The weather was lovely the week I was gone.  I came back, and the fennel was twice the size it had been.  Two bulbs required cooking asap.

One of the small plates at lunch on the ship was braised fennel.  The way roasting a radish mellows it to bring out unexpected flavors, braising a fennel changes its texture and intensity.

I'm using this version from Simply Recipes, but subbing only lemon zest and juice, since it seemed wasteful to zest an orange if I wasn't planning to eat it.

*2 large fennel bulbs
1/4 C butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
*2 Tb anise flavored liqueur such as Ouzo or Anisette
1/2 C chicken or vegetable stock (unsalted)
1/2 C water
1 Tb reserved fennel fronds
*Lemon juice and zest for serving

1.  Slice off stems just above bulbs and reserve enough fronds for garnish.  Cut fennel bulbs lengthwise, then each half into four slices, making sure to get some of the core in each piece to hold it together.

2.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium.  Add fennel pieces and allow to cook undisturbed until underside is browned, about 4 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and sugar and turn to cook other cut side another 4 minutes.

3.  Turn up heat a little and add liqueur.  Allow to boil off, then add stock and water.  Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.

4.  Uncover and turn the heat back up to reduce the sauce by a third.  Serve either hot or chilled, garnished with fronds and lemon zest and squirted with a bit of lemon juice.

Difficulty rating  :)