Food & Wine and Fennel - Risotto al Finocchio

Over the years that I've been posting anecdotes, recipes, and pictures, as well as some exceedingly boring stories of my childhood, here on Culinary Alchemy, I have made no bones about the fact that I adore Fennel.  Sadly, that adoration sometimes borders on obsession.  But I figure, hey, if I don't blog and talk about how delicious fennel is, then who will?

Honestly, I believe it is one of those vegetables that gets ignored in the United States.  We just don't consume enough fennel here.  Then again, we don't consume many leeks either.  But that is another post.  It could be because all the grocery stores mistakenly label it "anise"... Silly grocery stores.  They don't even look alike.

This is Anise.......

Which looks more like Yarrow or a flowering Fern......

This is Fennel......

Fennel looks like Dill Weed, but with an edible white bulb at the bottom.

So now that we have established that grocery store owners are obviously not botnists....

Let me dispel the myth that Fennel tastes like Licorice.  It doesn't, not really.  At least the bulb and fronds don't really taste like licorice... Sweet, yes.  Licorice-y, not so much.  The seeds on the other hand?  Well, I'll give ya that one. They do have a flavor that is decidedly similar to anise seed and/or licorice root.  The active ingredient, that most people perceive as licorice-ness, is Anethole.  It is found in the Fennel seeds in much higher concentrations than the leaves, stems or bulb of the plant.  The funniest part about this is that actual licorice root contains only an infinitesimal amount of this "anethole".  The flavor of licorice really comes from a chemical called "glycyrhhizin" which is 30-50 times sweeter than table sugar.  Unlike sugar, it's sweet flavor builds up and then lingers afterwards.  In essence, it pummels your taste buds with sweetness. Then it continues to linger and hang around like an unwelcome house guest.  So, technically, the flavor of licorice is really nothing more than a taste bud overload.  This is very different from the "fresh" taste of the anethole found in Anise, Star Anise and Fennel.  Though to be fair, candy manufacturers cheat and use anise and fennel oils in their licorice products as a filler for the more expensive glycyrhhizin.

If you want to taste REAL licorice, you'll have to order it over the internet from the Netherlands or possibly Italy, where they revel in the true flavor of the root.   

The point though, is that we should ALL be consuming more anethole.  It's GOOD for you.  I cannot stress this fact enough.  Anethole is an Anti-Inflammatory as well as a Cancer fighter.  Anethole has the amazing ability to shut down the inter-cellular signaling system called tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-mediated signaling.  By doing such, it prevents the release of an inflammation-triggering molecule called NF-kappaB.  Being high in vitamin C is also a bonus, since it's a water soluble antioxidant that boosts your immune system and assists in keeping your joints lubricated.  It also contains a healthy dose of Folate, which is necessary to convert the blood vessel damaging Homocysteine into less dangerous molecules.

It's a boon to the cook due to the fact that ALL parts of the plant are edible and taste slightly different, thus it provides multiple textures as well as multiple degrees of flavor depending.  The bulb is almost celery like in texture making it perfect in cooked preparations as well as being eaten raw.  The stems are more tender and great for seasoning soups.  The delicately flavored feathery leaves are excellent in salads for both texture and beauty.  The seeds, which come from a different cultivar than the bulb/stem/leaves, are of great importance when making sausages. I think you would be surprised to find how many different sausages contain fennel seeds, in varying amounts of course, but they are there.  Then there is the infamous fennel pollen.  What can I say?  It's the strongest flavored of them all, so a little goes a long way.

This is obviously one of my soap boxes.  I simply love the stuff.  All parts of it. So imagine how thrilling it was to see that the last issue of Food & Wine magazine featured a Risotto recipe containing Fennel.  I was absolutely beside myself with giddy delight.  Risotto is the great love of my life, and pairing it with one of my favorite vegetables is enough to throw me into a swoon. (I guess I truly am a food geek)

I had to change the recipe slightly though.  Not that I think I am an expert of anything, but I felt there was something missing from the recipe when I read it.  I do cook A LOT of fennel, so I am fairly opinionated as to how it should be cooked and what it should be augmented with. (OK, that does make me sound just a bit ego-centric doesn't it?)  How bout if I just say, "I know what I like with my Fennel".  I stayed open minded until the very end, and followed the recipe... but when I tasted it, right before removing from the heat to let it rest, I was right, it was missing "something"....  Citrus is always the perfect accompaniment to fennel.  In fact, I think it tastes a little odd if it's missing...  Thus, my addition.

Fennel Risotto

(Risotto al Finocchio)

3 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup Water
2 TB Olive Oil
1/4 of a Fennel Bulb, finely chopped
1/2 a Shallot, minced
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/4 cup White Wine (Look for citrus flavors)
1 TB Butter
Zest of 1/2 an Orange (Blood Orange, Meyer Lemon or Minneola are nice) 
1 oz Ricotta Salata or Mizythra

Combine Chicken Stock and Water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. (Please note the gratuitous shot of my Corningware 4 cup Sauce Maker)  LOL

Heat olive oil in a saute pan set over medium flame.

Add the Fennel ans Shallot, sweating them slowly (about 15 minutes) until they start to caramelize and turn soft and sticky.

Add the Rice and cook until it begins to smell nutty.

Add the white wine and stir until absorbed.

Begin adding stock, and stirring, one ladle at a time.....

Continue adding the stock until the rice it al dente and well coated in creamy goodness.
Remove from the flame and add Butter and Orange Zest, then cover and let rest for 3-5 minutes.

Stir the risotto and serve with shaved Ricotta Salata or Mizythra.

I opted to try the Lamb Sausage as well and serve them together.....

The Risotto was phenomenally delicious, but the lamb sausage was a little TOO warm and pretty much masked the fennel as well as the lamb itself.  I will cut the red pepper flake in half the next time.

Mangia!!
~~

Grazin on Grecian Fusion - Greek Cups

OK, I will admit, the only thing that is "Asian" about this recipe is the wonton wrappers, the rest of it is pretty Greek. Be that as it may, these are a quick and delicious appetizer for your dinner party. This was originally a Pampered Chef recipe I stole from a friend. It has suffered a couple of modifications but nothing too earth shaking. The original just wasn't quite "Mediterranean" enough for me. ;)

If you have more time, then these are even better when you forgo the wonton and use Phyllo dough. Simply layer about 4 or 5 sheets together after brushing each sheet with butter, then cut the resulting layered sheet into 3 inch squares, then press those into the mini-muffin tin.

Greek Cups

24 small wonton wrappers (3-inch squares)
1 can Artichoke Hearts, chopped (not the marinated kind)
1/4 cup Roasted Red Pepper, chopped
1/3 cup Kalamata Olives, chopped
1/4 cup grated Myzithra
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 cup Homemade Mayonnaise (I substituted 1/4 with Hazelnut oil)
zest of 1/2 Lemon

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Press wonton wrappers into Mini-Muffin Pan.

Drain artichoke hearts and pat them dry.

Chop Artichoke Hearts, Roasted Red Peppers and Kalamata Olives.

Place in a small bowl and add grated Myzithra and crushed Garlic, then toss together.

Add Mayonnaise and Lemon Zest, stirring to combine.

Spray the wonton dough lightly with a olive oil.
Using a small scoop (1 TB size), fill the cups, 1 scoop to each wonton cup.

Bake 12-14 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 2 minutes.

Remove carefully and serve warm.

Mangia!!
~~

The Kefi of Avgos - Grecian Frittata

I have mentioned this before, but I will reiterate.

I LOVE eggs

In all forms of preparation. Not the least of which is the delicious Italian open-faced Omelet known as the Frittata.

Today I decided it was time to re-flex my "Greek" muscles a little bit and throw together a frittata with a few Greco-Roman ingredients such as Peperoncini, Kalamata Olives, Capers, Almonds, Feta

and, of course, Myzithra.

Oh yeah baby! One bite and I was breakin' plates and yellin' "Opah!!" Oh, and as a side note, Ouzo does NOT go with a frittata. ;)

I like to use an old Corningware Pyro-Ceramic petite pan for this, cause nothin' goes so easily from stove top to broiler as well as good old Corningware. (They REALLY need to start making that stuff again instead of the cheap stoneware they replaced it with) Oh, and when I use the broiler in the oven, I have it set to 400 degrees.

Grecian Frittata

Olive Oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper
2 slices of Feta; broken
5-6 Kalamata olives, cut in half
1-2 Peperoncini, sliced into ribbons (or use the pre-sliced kind)
1-2 tsp Capers, rinsed
1 TB toasted slivered Almonds
1-2 TB Myzithra, Grated

Preheat the broiler to 400 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a small 6 inch skillet over medium low heat.

When oil it hot, add the beaten eggs, then season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper.

When the edges begin to "set" lay down the broken Feta.

Then top with sliced Kalamata Olives, Peperoncini, Capers and Slivered Almonds.

Sprinkle the whole thing with Myzithra and place under the broiler

Watch it closely, this will only take about 1-2 minutes before the cheese browns and the frittata "sets", then remove it from the oven.

Cut into wedges and serve.


Yes, a well made Frittata can bring much 'kefi' (joy) to your morning.

Mangia!!
~~

It's all Greek to Me - Pastitsio aka "Greek Lasagna"

Pastitsio, is basically Greek for "hodge podge". And a little bit of a hodge podge it is, but it's a delicious hodgepodge. :) I love anything with béchamel poured over the top, it causes me to reminisce about by mom's Moussaka.

There is a controversy however, regarding the construction of the dish. Some say lamb, some say beef. Others say cinnamon in the meat mixture, other say no way, because it clashes with the delicate nutmeg of the béchamel. I think that it really should not matter, I mean the name of the dish means Hodge Podge, by definition, this means what ever you have lying around, be it Cinnamon and Lamb, Beef and All-spice, even Turkey and more Nutmeg. This is how I made mine.

The one thing that is pretty much agreed on is the pasta... It's a long tubular noodle...

Since I am more familiar with Italian Pastas, I would describe it as a cross between Bucatini and Zitoni (or Long Ziti).

Pastitsio consists of 3 different parts. The Meat Sauce and béchamel can be prepared separately, chilled (covered) and then assembled at a later date if necessary (But no longer than 2 days) Simply bring everything to room temperature while boiling the pasta, and then proceed.

Pastitsio

Meat sauce:1 medium Red Onion, finely chopped
1 TB Olive Oil
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 LB Lamb, ground
3 Roma Tomatoes (seeded and sliced)
1 (15-oz) can diced Tomatoes
1 TB Thyme
1 tsp Kosher Salt or to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Béchamel:4 TB unsalted Butter
3 TB AP Flour
4 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Kefalotyri or Kasseri Cheese, grated
1/2 tsp grated Nutmeg
1 tsp Kosher Salt
3 large Egg Yolks

Assembly:1 lb Zitoni (Italian) or No 2 (Greek) Pasta
1/2 cup Kefalotyri or Kasseri Cheese, grated
3/4 cup Panko or 1/2 cup Regular Bread crumbs
3 TB Myzithra, Grated

Make meat sauce:

Sweat the onions in oil in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened.
Add garlic and sweat an additional minute.

Increase heat to high, add lamb, breaking up any lumps with a fork (you want a fine texture) until the meat is nice and browned, about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, seed and slice up the Roma Tomato.

Pour off excess fat from skillet; then stir in sliced tomatoes, the Diced tomatoes, thyme, and salt.

Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, to allow some liquid to evaporated, about 30 minutes, but the meat mixture is still moist.

While the sauce is simmering:
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Add the flour whisking until the roux is smooth, bubbly and pale gold in color.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in another saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to simmer slightly (this is scalding)
Pour the hot milk into the roux fairly quickly (don’t drizzle it in like hollandaise), whisking constantly until very smooth.

Bring béchamel to a boil over medium heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, kefalotyri, and salt.
In a small bowl lightly beat yolks.

Condition the yolks by adding about 1 cup of the hot béchamel to the bowl, while whisking constantly, then add the yolk mixture to the sauce pan of béchamel; again whisking constantly.
The béchamel can be covered with a piece of buttered was paper laid on the surface.

You can stop here, and store everything in the refrigerator for tomorrow or continue on at this point.

Assemble pastitsio:
Preheat oven to 375
Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water (1 TB for every 2 quarts of water) until al dente.
Drain pasta, then transfer to a large bowl and stir in 1/2 cup béchamel. (which I forgot to do this time)

Arrange half of pasta lengthwise in 1 layer in a large (7 1/2 x 11 x 2.5) baking dish. (Sorry, I have old Corningware baking dishes)

Add the meat sauce and spread evenly over the pasta layer.

Sprinkle with the Kefalotyri cheese,

then lay down another layer of pasta.

Spread remaining béchamel evenly over top layer of pasta.

Stir together bread crumbs and Myzithra cheese

and sprinkle evenly over top of pastitsio.

Bake on a rimmed baking sheet (cause pastitsio can bubble over just like lasagna) until crumbs are golden brown and sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest of at least 15 minutes before serving.

Nostimmos!!! (delicious)


Troo to peridromo! (my conjugation is probably off, but I tried)


Mangia!!
~~