Dinner tonight - or last night.

Beautiful local fruits and veggies were in the stores this morning.

I bought a basket of lovely little new potatoes, as well as green beans, wax beans and sugar snap peas. They're all going to be served with a semi-pre-fab chicken parm thingie. Nice romaine with cranberries and blue cheese dressing on the side.

Fresh peaches, caramel ripple ice cream and blueberry-peach ring for after.

I can hardly wait. It's all going to make up for this afternoon's visit to the dentist.

Welcome to A2K & the "dinner" thread, Froth.

I've been thinking about new ideas with fennel lately. Plenty of it, very reasonably priced) on the local market at the moment & I'd like to take advantage that. I must investigate further.

Thanks msolga. Please let us know if you find any good fennel recipes.

Welcome, Froth..

Here's a recipe that sounds good to me from a Minimalist column (Mark Bittman) from back in November, a fennel and celery salad.
He later posted that it's a family favorite, and he varies the recipe now with additions like thin shaved jerusalem artichoke (sunchokes), radishes, even turnips. Or using celeriac instead of celery, and varying herbs.


November 26, 2008
RECIPE

Fennel and Celery Salad

2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, some fronds reserved
3 celery ribs, trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.

1. Cut fennel bulbs in quarters lengthwise, discarding outer layer if it is exceedingly tough. Use a mandoline to slice quarters thinly; slice celery equally thin.
2. Put sliced fennel and celery into a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine. Top with lots of freshly shaved Parmesan and chopped fennel fronds if you like.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.


The original column - with photo and video and more explanation than just the recipe -
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/dining/26mini.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=fennel%20and%20celery%20make%20a%20striking%20pair&st=cse

The more recent column - with comments -
http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/variations-on-fennel-celery-salad/

Thank you for that recipe, osso.

I'm also going to search around for recipes with fennel in soups & baked things. I don't know why I haven't used it much in my cooking. Possibly because I don't feel very confident about "improvising" with it.

I noticed that the recipe recommended slicing the fennel with a mandoline. Never having used one before? Do you think it'd be a useful purchase?

Mandolines are expensive, far as I know. I do have a japanese slicer thing I bought decades ago, and it still works. But, hey, I figure not so thin slices would still work. Maybe matchstick cut...

I'm interested in fennel in baking and soups too. I can see it in a creamy potato soup. I can imagine putting it on pizza, maybe not toooo much, with ital fennel spiced sausage

Ah, expensive, hmmm? May not get one, then, osso.

Fennel & potato sounds a pretty good marriage to me, in a soup. (I'll do a bit of a search & see what I can find.)
I can buy terrific fennel & pork sausages (made on site by a local butcher) & have used them in pasta sauces. Good!
As for inclusion in baked recipes ... a bit of a mystery to me.
(I was thinking ... maybe in a lasagna, along with other ingredients?)

Thanks Osso - that salad looks great. I've got celery growing so I'll definitely give it a go.

Mandolines from William-Sonoma (which I assume is not the lowest findable pricing) - http://www.williams-sonoma.com/srch/index.cfm?words=mandoline

Here's an asian mandoline product - http://shopping.aol.com/articles/2009/08/04/benriner-mandoline-slicer/

Last night I tried out a new recipe - kangaroo carpaccio!

Marvellous!

I have some overseas visitors coming next month, so I'm trying to identify some particularly Australian dishes.

I do hope they're not vegetarian!

Roast beef, potatoes, green beans.

Lamb chops on the BBQ, roast potatoes and salads.

grilled salmon burger

I don't like salmon, but I like these burgers.

Last night was clean out the fridge ahead of market day night.
Pimento cheese sandwiches, quartered and stacked so we could enjoy them while watching "America's Got Talent".
Fresh pears mixed in light peach yogurt
The last of the Bread & Butter pickles
Caramel corn flavored rice chips
The last of the raw baby carrots and celery sticks

Breaded and fried, bone in, pork chops. My first yield of corn, bi color small kerneled sugary sweet,...butter dripping of elbows. Baked potato, and yes,...to complete the defibrillator meal,....piled a mile high with everything imaginable that is not the healthiest.

Yum...sounds amazing. Just eat Cheerios for breakfast.
last night - veal cutlets(I know), on a bed of penne with a yummy tomato basil sauce over it sprinkled with fresh grated parmigiana, ceasar salad, bread - Merlot.

tonight...Cheerios.

Just plain cheerios or ,....multi grain,...honey nut,....banana nut, berry burst, apple cinnamon, frosted, fruity, or yogurt burst...?

I am a bit late for the fennel here, but fennel is one of my favorite vegetables.
Usually I make it very simple - steamed fennel with butter and shredded parmesan. Or top it with breadcrumbs sauteed in butter.
For a salad, I mix fennel with oranges, or just plain with dill, some olive oil
and seasonings.

Found a 3 lb bag of frozen tortellini on sale. Somebody help me with some recipes.

panzade, are they filled or plain? Do you like chicken livers? I have a great
recipe for it....