Braised Fennel

If you haven't made fennel before, it's a great side dish and easy to prepare.  Braised fennel can have a sweet, slightly licorice flavor so it goes well with meats, fish and even asian-style dishes.  It's also one of those veggies that can look pretty intimidating unless you know what to do with it, so here's our step-by-step.

First, if it came with the tall, feathery stalks, you can chop those off.

Then you'll want to slice the bulb right down the middle so you can get the tough core out.  It's a little like an onion, you can put the tip of your knife at the top of the triangular core (see it on the right side?) and slice in and down to remove it.

Then, take the remaining bulb half and slice it top to bottom in 1/4 or 1/2 inch slices.  When you cook it, it will get soft and easy to cut, so you don't need to make the pices small, although you can if you prefer.

Prepare the fennel and described above then peel and roughly chop three or four cloves of garlic.  Measure out 1 cup of chicken broth or vegetable broth and set it next to the stove.  Heat about 3 TB of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan with a lid. 

When the oil is hot, put the fennel and garlic in the pan for about 1 minute, stirring constantly until you can smell the garlic.  Add the chicken broth to the pan and cover.  Turn the heat to medium-low and let the fennel braise for about 20 minutes, until it's soft and easily pierced with a fork.

Serve warm.