Posts Tagged ‘Fennel’

Taste: These versatile and aromatic bulbs have a refreshing taste with a hint of licorice and aniseed.  Crisp, hardy and crunchy when raw, they become soft when cooked, with a more subtle and delicate flavour.

Region: Our fabulous fennels come from the Italian region of Campania, famous for its fist class vegetables and fertile soil.

Quality: We only source the finest grade available on the market. Our fennels are proudly white and compact, much bigger than the ones you usually find in supermarkets.  Our buyers only select what is looking and tasting best!

Cost: We always let you know the price per kg so you can easily compare our prices. This superb fennel is not only better quality, but also cheaper than what is found in the supermarket.

Natoora “Fennel” £1.49.*

Abel & Cole “Fennel” £1.65*

Buy fennel online now

*Prices checked on 04/01/2012

Perk yourself up this January with a refreshing, seasonal salad…

1 orange
1 pink grapefruit
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds

Peel and segment the orange and grapefruit, segment and remove the pith. Add the segments to a bowl.

Thinly slice the fennel and add to the citrus. Lightly mix and set aside.

Dry-fry the coriander and cumin seeds to release their aromas, then crush to a coarse powder in a pestle and mortar or food processor. Mix the crushed seeds into the salad.

Serve and enjoy!

Serves 2

1 bunch baby fennel
handful of parsley, chopped
1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Wash the fennels, cut lengthways and then in wedges but try to leave the leaves attached to the bottom so that everything stays together when cooking.

Toss the wedges with a little oil and sea salt, then place on a hot grill pan and cook on a medium heat until tender (about 10-15 minutes), turning when required.

Once cooked, dress with chopped parsley and lemon juice and zest to taste. Adjust seasoning if required, add freshly ground black pepper. A great side dish to fish!

All our oranges are tasting superb at the moment and they make a wonderful match the fresh flavours of fennel and red onion…

2 oranges
2 fennels
half red onion
2 anchovies in oil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
oregano

Thinly slice the washed fennel, dress with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and leave to marinate on the side.

Thinly slice the red onion and add to the fennel. Divide the orange segments and cut in half. Drain and roughly chop the anchovies. Add everything to the fennel, dress with salt, pepper, oregano and plenty of extra virgin olive oil.

Celebrate the launch of Theo Randall’s “Pasta”

This month, Theo Randall launched his first cookbook, “Pasta“. Theo Randall was head chef at River Cafe for 10 years and now runs his own award-winning restaurant, Theo Randall at the Intercontinental. This friendly, accessible and stylish cookbook will prove will prove indispensable for all who love unfussy yet delicious food.

Simplicity and the quality of the ingredients are the keynotes to Theo’s cooking. Shop at natoora and you’ll be getting the same quality seasonal foods as supplied to Theo Randall both at home, and at his restaurant.

Thanks to our close friendship we Theo, we are able to provide this exclusive sneak preview of one of the mouthwatering recipes featured in Theo’s book…

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Spaghetti with Lobster, Fennel, Tomatoes and Zucchini

“Lobster is considered the king of shellfish but it can be disappointing when you buy it pre-cooked. In my experience, the best lobsters are the native Scottish ones or the Dorset Blue lobster, which is an almost electric blue before it is cooked. When I buy a lobster I always ask for some seaweed, which is put on top of the lobster in its polystyrene box. The seaweed tends to keep the lobster clam while it is stored in the fridge.”

1 600g lobster, cooked
2 small zucchini, cut into slices 5mm thick
1 fennel bulb, cut into slices 5mm thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
400g can of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
400g spaghetti
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the lobster down with the tail flat on the board and, with a sharp, heavy knife, cut lengthwise through the middle of the tail to make 2 half tails. Pull off the head and claws. Crack the claws with a  heavy knife and remove the meat, then remove any meat from the head (the head and claws can be kept to make soup or stock). Cut each half tail into 3 pieces – leaving the tail in the shell in this way will add flavour to the sauce.

Cook the zucchini and fennel in a pan of boiling salted water until tender but not mushy, then drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and cook gently until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook slowly for 10 minutes. Add the lobster, zucchini, fennel and chopped parsley, season well and add a dash of good olive oil.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain. Add to the lobster sauce, toss well and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Serve with black pepper.

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Don’t forget, you can buy the same ingredients as used by Theo Randall at www.natoora.co.uk!

Watch this space for more exclusive previews of Theo Randall recipes.

A classic Sicilian recipe

Ingredients

300g Large shaped pasta (like zita)
350g Fresh filleted sardines
200g Wild fennel
4 Anchovy Fillets
1/2 Sachet of Saffron
30g Pine Nuts
30g Sultanas
Flour to dust
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion
Salt
Breadcrumbs

Wash the fennel and boil in lightly salted water, drain and thinly chop, but keep the water on the side. Sautee the finely chopped onion and the anchovies in a pan with olive oil, then add the fennel, the sultanas (previously soaked in water) and pine nuts, then the saffron.

Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Dust the sardines with flour and fry them, then drain on absorbent paper. Season with salt.

Cook the pasta in the fennel water, drain and add to half of the sauce.

Coat a large oven dish with olive oil, layer with pasta, then the sardine fillets, then some spoonfuls of sauce. Repeat until you run out of ingredients.

Toast some breadcrumbs with a little olive oil, sprinkle on top of the pasta. Finish off in a hot oven (200*C) for ten minutes, serve with a dry white wine.

A tasty way to enjoy swordfish

Serves 4

4 Swordfish Steaks 200gr each
200gr Cherry Tomatoes from Pachino
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Fennels
1 Garlic Glove
20gr Taggiasche Olives
100gr Chopped Wild Fennel
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Remove the skin from the swordfish, wash and finely slice the fennel. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut in half. Heat 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan with the crushed garlic clove. Add the tomatoes and after a minute or so add the olives.

Remove the sauce from the pan, add the steaks and cook for a couple of minutes (make sure you do not overcook the fish or it will get a tough consistency).

Add salt and pepper, then add the wild fennel to the sauce and put back in the pan. Cook for another minute, then serve very hot topped with the sauce and a side of fennel dressed in oil and vinegar.