Braised Fennel With Spicy Chickpeas and Goat's Curd Recipe
by Jesse Jenkins
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Easy
Braising fennel intensifies its sweetness and mellows the aniseed. Braising also lets it keep its bite while simultaneously making it very tender. I often make this dish with Spanish chorizo in the chickpea mix, but the smoked paprika, chilli and garlic tell the same story if you're rolling without it. If you are, start by lightly frying it before you add the rest of the chickpea ingredients to the pan. I like to have this dish as a main.
Recipe extracted from: Cooking with Vegetables by Jesse Jenkins, ADIP (Another Day in Paradise), Published by Bluebird, £28
Ingredients for the braised fennel Serves: 2
- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered
- 240ml dry white wine
- 240ml chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- splash of white wine vinegar
- 2-3 tsp Dijon mustard
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- salt
- pepper
Ingredients for the spicy chickpeas
- 100g Spanish chorizo, peeled and diced (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 fresh chilli finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- splash of white wine vinegar
- juice of 1 lemon
Ingredients to serve
- ½ bunch of chives, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp goat's curd
Method for braised fennel with spicy chickpeas and goat's curd
- Coat the fennel quarters with olive oil and season them with salt. Sear them in a large hot frying pan over a medium heat for a few minutes until golden brown on both cut sides (this happens quickly). Deglaze the pan with the white wine and stock, cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes or until the fennel is tender.
- In a separate frying pan, start preparing the spicy chickpeas. If you're using chorizo, fry it first: heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the chorizo, and fry until crispy before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add the chilli, garlic and chickpeas and cook for a few minutes, then add the smoked paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add the vinegar and cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, chives, and some salt and pepper.
- When the fennel is tender, uncover the pan, add the butter, splash of vinegar and mustard to the braising liquid and mix until combined. Baste the fennel with the sauce as it thickens. I usually add a splash of water and some extra seasoning to stretch the sauce out before finishing.
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Serve the braised fennel quarters topped with the spicy chickpeas and goat's curd.
About the author
Jesse Jenkins aka ADIP (Another Day in Paradise) is a chef and social media sensation based in London. Jesse’s cinematic vegetable-focused cooking videos on Instagram reach up to 2.1 million views – solidifying his status as a new star on the UK cooking scene.
