Skills you will learn in this recipe
Preparing & cooking fennel; poaching vegetables ‘à la Grecque’
Links to the last recipe
Cooking with a ‘star’ vegetable; making a vegetarian/vegan main; making a dish that can be served hot or cold.
We love fennel, and think it is a very overlooked vegetable. Its nice firm texture makes it a great starring vegetable for vegetarian or vegan dishes too. This fully vegan dish, cooked in an aromatic tomato sauce, was a real Saturday supper favourite in Emily’s household growing up, and she has made it ever since. It’s very simple to prepare, and also a refreshing light meal for hotter weather.
Bibi made fennel à la Grecque often, and always served it just warm (room temperature) rather than hot from the pan or too cold. We serve it that way too, topped with spring onions and parsley, and served with some nice crusty bread. It’s tasty, fresh and satisfying.
Fennel is an odd vegetable, a bit like an oversized celery with a slightly sweet, almost tarragon-like flavour. Smaller bulbs tend to be tender all the way through; larger bulbs can have slightly tougher outer leaves or a few patches of discolouration. It is worth buying more fennel than you think you need to allow for any waste. To serve two people, with a little leftover for the next day, we bought two large-ish bulbs.
The term ‘à la Grecque’ means ‘in the Greek style’, though we suspect it is a very French take on ‘Greek’! It normally requires poaching some sort of vegetable in a liquid that is made acidic with lemon and/or wine, has olive oil in, and is flavoured with spices, which usually include coriander seeds, black peppercorns and garlic.
Leeks, celery, small onions or cauliflower make particularly good replacements for the fennel in our recipe today. Or mushrooms are quite often seen served this way, though they require less cooking (and the sauce usually does not feature tomato). An à la Grecque dish is normally served cold, or just warm.
Start by chopping the onion and garlic. Chop the onion into medium pieces, see our onion Tip.
Also chop the garlic. We use 2 or 3 cloves. See our garlic Tip.
Now prepare the fennel. Most fennel will have some little fronds at the top of the stems. These are good to add to the garnish, so remove them and reserve for later. Now trim the fennel down. Trim off the top of the stems to remove any dry or woody bits. Also trim off the bottom.
Next slice the fennel into pieces. It is easiest to halve it down the length first. Some larger fennel bulbs may have dry or tough outer leaves. You can discard these, but it will create a lot of waste. We tend to just cut off any dry-looking sections. Cut out a little of the central woody stalk from the halved fennel, then cut into pieces. We tend to halve the bulb again, then separate out the leaves. Cut any large pieces slightly smaller. You want fairly regular pieces, as in the pictures below, but you will, by the bulb’s nature, have a range of sizes. This will give a range of textures in the cooked dish, which is actually very nice.
You can use all tinned tomatoes or all fresh tomatoes in this dish, but we tend to use a bit of both. It adds more flavour and texture, but we also find one can of tomatoes is not quite enough, and two is too much, so we use fresh to make up the difference.
Chop the fresh tomatoes, if using, fairly roughly, removing the white central core.
Also juice a lemon. See our lemon Tip. Then chop the fennel fronds smaller, as you would with herbs. See our herb Tip.
You now need to grind up the peppercorns and coriander seeds. This gives the fennel à la Grecque a much better flavour than using pre-ground spices. Add about a teaspoon of coriander seeds and about two teaspoons of black peppercorns to a mortar or small bowl. Crush with a pestle, or if you don’t have a pestle & mortar, use the end of a rolling pin or similar. You want the spices ground quite fine, so this may take a few minutes of bashing and rolling the pestle against the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Jake sticks his nose in
The best pestle & mortar sets are quite heavy, and usually made of stone or metal. They are fun to use, and worth investing in if you plan to cook a lot, especially with spices. You can get a decent small one for under £10. But a sturdy bowl and a rolling pin will do the job!
You now need to make up some tomato purée with boiling water. We use about one large tablespoon of purée in about 200ml of water. Your mise en place is done, and you are ready to cook the fennel à la Grecque!
Add a little olive oil to a high-sided frying pan or wok, large enough to take all the ingredients. Set over a medium heat, and when the oil is hot – test it by hovering your hand above the pan – add the onion. Fry, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
Now add the ground pepper & coriander, plus the garlic, and fry, stirring constantly until the smell of the spices rises.
Next add the canned tomatoes. Also rinse out the tin with a little boiled water and add this too.
Jake sticks his nose in
Today we used chopped tinned tomatoes. You can use whole ones instead, but you will need to break them up a bit with you spoon when you add.
Now add the chopped fresh tomatoes, the purée & water mixture, and the lemon juice and stir.
Add about a tablespoon of red or white wine vinegar and a teaspoon or two of dried oregano. Season with a little salt, and stir well to combine.
Turn up the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. You now need to add the fennel. Push the pieces down into the liquid until they are submerged. The fennel should be as coated in the juices as possible. You may need to add more liquid – this can be water, or more purée & water mix. Today we did need to add a little more.
Turn the heat down, and simmer the fennel à la Grecque until the fennel is just tender, but still retains some bite. The sauce should also have reduced and thickened a little. This will take at least 20 minutes, but it is best to test a piece of fennel for done-ness by biting into it. It should yield, but still have some firmness.
While the fennel à la Grecque is cooking, prepare the garnish. Chop some parsley, this is easiest with scissors. See our herb Tip. Also top & tail the spring onions, and remove the outer layer. Snip, quite finely, including some of the green. Combine in a bowl with the chopped fennel fronds.
When the fennel à la Grecque is cooked, taste the sauce. Season with more salt & pepper if needed. You can also adjust with any of the flavourings, e.g. lemon, vinegar, coriander, oregano, or add a pinch of sugar if it is too sharp. Stir, remove from the heat and leave to cool. You can serve it hot if you prefer, but it really is nicer cold, or just warm – the flavours are much brighter and richer.
Jake sticks his nose in
You’ll need to plan a little ahead for this dish. It is much nicer at about room temperature. It can take up to an hour to cool properly, and can be left longer, covered. Fennel à la Grecque is also good the next day – the flavours, if anything, develop even more.
When you are ready to serve, give the garnish a good stir, and plate up the cooled fennel à la Grecque.
Serve with some crusty bread to mop up the tasty juices! Today we found some nice olive bread batons.
Serve the garish separately for your guests to add as much or as little of as they wish.
Enjoy!
Fresh, Fragrant Fennel à la Grecque.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Peel & chop the onion into medium pieces. See our onion Tip. Also peel & chop the garlic. See our garlic Tip.
- Next prepare the fennel. Remove any small fronds from the stems and reserve for the garnish. Trim off the tops of the stalks and the bottom of the bulb. Cut the fennel in half lengthwise, then cut out the central stem. Slice in half again, and separate out the pieces. Cut any pieces that are too large smaller, but don't worry about getting them all uniform in size.
- Chop the fresh tomatoes, if using, cutting out the white central core. Squeeze the lemon. See our lemon Tip. Chop the fennel fronds smaller in a small bowl or mug. See our herb Tip.
- Crush the peppercorns & coriander seeds together with a pestle & mortar, or in a small bowl with the end of a rolling pin. You want them crushed quite fine.
- Add the tomato purée to a small measuring jug, and make up to about 200ml with boiling water. Stir to dissolve. Your mise en place is ready, and you can start to cook the fennel à la Grecque.
- Pour a little olive oil into a large wok or high-sided frying pan. Set over a medium heat and, when warm, add the onion. Fry until the onion is just beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper & coriander mixture, plus the garlic and stir well, until the scent begins to rise.
- Now add the tinned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, purée & water mixture plus the lemon juice. Stir. Add the wine vinegar, oregano and season with a pinch of salt. Turn the heat up, and bring the sauce to the boil.
- Next add the pieces of fennel, pushing them down into the liquid with your spoon until they are well submerged. You may need to add more water, or water & purée mix. Turn the heat down and simmer until the fennel is tender, but still retains some bite. Test a piece for done-ness by biting into it.
- While the fennel à la Grecque is cooking, prepare the garnish. Chop the parsley. See our herb Tip. Top & tail the spring onions and remove the outer layer. Snip, quite finely, into a small bowl, including some of the green. Add the parsley and chopped fennel fronds, and stir to combine.
- When the fennel is tender, taste and season with more salt & pepper if needed. You can also adjust with any of the other flavourings, or add a pinch of sugar if too sharp. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. You can serve the fennel à la Grecque hot, but it is nicest at about room temperature. Plan ahead, it can take about an hour to cool, covered.
- Serve with some crusty bread, with the garnish on the side for your guests to top the fennel with themselves, to taste.
- Enjoy!
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