Tag Archives: fennel

Fennel and leek quiche

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FennelLeekQuiche2.jpg

 

I get a farm box delivered every week; its contents are always unknown and can pose some interesting food combinations. This week there were leeks and a beautiful bulb of fennel. Together? Why not? Here’s my fennel and leek quiche which absolutely delighted everyone who tasted it!

It’s quick and easy to make but you do need a food processor.

Ingredients

1 pie crust – I purchase mine already made, but you can find many excellent vegan pie crust recipes. Here’s one I recommend.

12 oz package medium-firm or firm, silken tofu

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1 Tbsp cornstarch or tapioca powder

1 Tbsp tahini

1 Tbsp miso

½ tsp turmeric

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp A-1 sauce

Freshly ground pepper to taste (I used about ¼ tsp)

1 bulb fennel, stalks and fronds removed, and the bulb cut into slices

2 leeks cleaned, cut in half and sliced with just a bit of the green included (about 1” of the green)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

Put the tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, Dijon mustard, tapioca powder or cornstarch, tahini, miso, A1 sauce, turmeric, salt and pepper in a blender and blend until smooth. You should have a thick, smooth thin paste-like mix. You may need to add up to ½ cup water to get a smoother paste.

Sprinkle the sliced leeks and fennel crust. Pour the tofu batter over top evenly and smooth out.

Bake for 60 minutes. Allow the quiche to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Enjoy!

 

Fennel and apple soup – elegant and satisfying

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fennelsoup

Now that autumn weather is definitely here, it’s soup season. This fennel and apple soup is easy to make, has a rich taste and texture and is elegant enough for company.

There are two recipes in one here – one for the soup and another for the cashew cream.

Soup ingredients

1 bulb fennel cleaned and diced (reserve some fronds for garnish)

1 large apple cored, peeled and diced

1 shallot sliced

1 rib celery sliced

2 cups of vegetable stock

the juice of ½ lemon

salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper)

1 tsp Dijon mustard (I used grainy mustard)

1 cup cashew cream (see below)*

Directions

Place the fennel, apple, shallot, celery, stock and salt and pepper in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.

When the vegetables are tender enough to easily pierce with a fork, turn off the heat and blend the soup mixture. I use a hand-held immersion blender, but you can also use a regular blender, working in batches.

Add the lemon juice, Dijon mustard and cashew cream and stir together. Taste and adjust the salt, if needed.

Serve with a bit of fennel frond for garnish.

Makes 4 servings. The soup will last for up to 3 days in the fridge.

*Ingredients and directions for the cashew cream

1 cup raw cashews

2/3 cup water

Juice of ½ lemon

¾ tsp salt

Soak the raw cashews in water for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Drain the cashews and blend in a high-speed blender with the remaining ingredients. The cream will thicken as it sits and will last in your fridge for up to 3 days. You will have about 1 ½ cups of cashew cream – more than you need for the fennel and apple soup – so reserve the remaining amount to have with borscht or perogies or natchos/tacos or wherever else you’d use sour cream.

Fennel, orange and radish salad

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FennelSalad

Poor fennel. So delicious yet so misunderstood. And poor you, if you’re not enjoying this gorgeous bulb with the bright green fronds. This vegetable is delicious raw or cooked and has a distinct licorice-y flavour and happy crunch. I think fennel bulbs look like ogre hearts and well… that just makes it all the more fun.

Ingredients

1 bulb fennel

1 naval orange – peeled with a knife so all the white pith is removed and then sliced  into bite sized pieces

4-5 radishes sliced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 Tbsp olive oil

1-2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

fennelTo prepare your fennel, wash it under hot running water. Remove the first layer and the tough core. Cut off a few of the green fronds – they make a nice decorative touch. You can eat the stalks/shoots though they can be woody so unless I have a very fresh fennel, I skip the stalks. Cut your fennel bulb in half and then slice into bite sized slices.

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. This salad is a great winter salad when oranges are cheap and other leafy greens are hard to come by or expensive and imported.

This salad has a bright, refreshing taste and great crunch and will last for 3 days in the fridge.