A Use for Fennel and Other Successful Kitchen Experiments

This blog is called the barbarians are hungry for a reason: I love to eat! Here are some new recipes I have tried over the past few months.

August

1. Aloo Gobi from Masala
2. Fennel and Pork Stir Fry from Chicken and Rice
3. Gavurdagi Salatasi from Persiana
4. No-Churn Rhubarb Condensed Milk Ice Cream from Chicken and Rice
5. Banana Pancakes from Good and Cheap

To keep things interesting: in August, I took a lot of walks, and on one of these I met Bert. Must check what Bert is up to for Hallowe'en...

September

1. Extra-Fancy Egyptian Ful Medames from Home is a Kitchen

In September I saw the North Sea for the very first time.

October

1. Life-Changing Cinnamon Tahini Cookies from Sweet Potato Soul
2. Jingha Sukha Pulao from Masala
3. Cornmeal Molasses Pancakes from Heartland
4. Lamb Raan from Dishoom
5. Caucasian BBQ Flatbreads from Mamushka
6. Apple Oatmeal Cookies from The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days
   
7. Apple and Currant Oatmeal Bars from The Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days
   
8. Potato and Leek Pizza from Good and Cheap 

Discovered a statue for our times in a park in my neighbourhood. Eeek indeed!

 

I've made the fennel and pork stir-fry at least twice since the first time I tried it, and recommend it highly. Don't go out of your way for fennel? Me either! I find it a tricky vegetable to use up when it appears in my biweekly vegetable box--I like it raw in salads, but haven't enjoyed it cooked, so I was delighted to discover it is delicious in the following southeast Asian-style stir fry.

 

Fennel & Minced Pork (Pad Ka Prao)

Minimally adapted from Chicken and Rice by Shu Han Lee. 

Serves 2-3 people.

You will need:

• 1 small fennel bulb (I use both the bulb and the fronds, if they're attached)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 200g minced pork (aka ground pork, 200g is roughly a cup and a half)
  
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes, or a 1-inch square block of chopped frozen chilies from the freezer (I've never made this with fresh chilies, but suggest you go by your own spice tolerance in deciding how much to add)
  
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 generous tsp oyster sauce
• a generous pinch of brown sugar (it's fine without it)
• a big bunch of basil leaves (this is supposed to be Thai basil, but I use the only kind I can find in our grocery stores, regular old Italian basil, and it tastes good. You could also try fresh coriander/cilantro.)
  
• an egg per person (optional)
  

To make:

1. Put rice on to cook--I typically boil my rice, using a 3-to-1 ratio of water to rice grains. For a meal and leftovers, I typically use a cup of rice and 3 cups of water.
   
2. Wash your fennel and chop it into bite-sized pieces. I usually chop off the fronds, set them aside, chop the bulb, and then add the chopped fronds after the bigger and thicker pieces have cooked a bit.
3. Heat your oil in a frying pan and add the chopped fennel bulb. Add chopped garlic, and fennel fronds if you have them.  Stir-fry until it all smells nice, just a few minutes. If using frozen chopped chili, add it here.
   
4. Add in the ground pork, using a spoon or spatula to break it into much smaller pieces. 
5. When the meat is just abut cooked, add in chili flakes (if using); then add fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water, which helps make a nice sauce.
6. Remove frying pan from heat and add in basil leaves. Mix them in until the residual heat from cooking causes them to wilt.
7. If you are using ordinary white rice, and started cooking it before chopping your fennel, it should now be finished cooking. Dollop some on a plate and top with stir fry. Fry egg(s) in the pan, and top each plate with a fried egg.