Article from the June 2015 issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.

With fennel’s notorious crunch and slight sweetness, this hardy, perennial herb is a refreshing addition to a range of dishes

You’ve never seen fennel? It looks like celery and tastes like liquorice.

Creamy fennel, biltong and goat’s cheese soup

A delicious soup that tastes like comfort in a bowl. Perfect for cold winter days, Serves 4 EASY 1 hour 15 minutes.

The flavour combinations croutons

60g mini baguette, sliced (about 16 slices)

20ml (4tsp) olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Soup

5g butter

180g (about 4) small leeks, finely sliced

15ml (1 tbsp) garlic, peeled and crushed

360g fennel, chopped

370g (about 2) medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

1L (4 cups) chicken stock

15ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard

250ml (1 cup) fresh cream

2 100g goat’s cheese logs

35g powdered blitong

Handful finely sliced biltong to serve, fresh microherbs to garnish

How to do it

I. For the croutons, preheat the oven to 180%C. Toss the sliced bread and oil together and season to taste. Place on a baking tray and bake until crisp and golden, 4 – 5 minutes

2. For the soup, heat a large pot over low heat. Add the butter, leeks, garlic and fennel, and gently saute for ten minutes. It shouldn’t brown too much

3. Add the potatoes and stock, cover and simmer until tender, 45 – 50 minutes. Add the mustard, cream and one 100g goat’s cheese log. Use a blender to puree until smooth. Stir in the powdered biltong and season to taste.

4. Serve the soup topped with a finely little sliced biltong. Crumble over the remaining goat’s cheese and garnish with the croutons and fresh microherbs.

Cook’s Tips

To keep the soup from browning too much end becoming dull, make sure you cook it over low heat from the beginning. If you don’t enjoy goat’s cheese, replace it with cream cheese or Danish feta.

Mini fired potato and fennel cakes with creamy horseradish and lemon dip

These little veggie nuggets are so tasty, they’re crisp on the outside and so tender on the inside. The perfect treat makes 24 Easy 1 hr

The flavour combinations potato and fennel cakes

580g (about 2) large potatoes, peeled and diced

10g butter

160g fennel, finely chopped

5ml (1 tsp) garlic, peeled and crushed

60g (about half) red onion peeled and finely chopped

15ml (1tbsp) fennel powder (available at most major retailers)  finely ground fennel seeds

5ml (1 tsp) whole grain mustard

15ml (1 tsp) sweet chilli source

45 (3 tbsp) cake flour

60ml (1/4 cup)  fresh coriander, finely chopped

15ml (1 tbsp) chives, finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, oil to deep-fry

Horseradish and Lemon dip

175 plain yoghurt

80ml (1/3 cup) cream fraiche

5m (1 tbsp)creamed horseradish

5ml ( lemon zest

15ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice pinch cayenne pepper salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sea salt flakes, to garnish

8 lemon wedges, to serve (optional)

How to do it

1. For the potato and the fennel cakes, place the potatoes in a pot of salted cold water. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, 15 – 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes, place them back in the warm pot over medium heat and cook, while stirring, 2 minutes.this will take the remaining moisture out of the potatoes, mash until fine.
2. Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add the fennel and garlic and saute until tender, 10 minutes. Add to the mashed potatoes and stir in the onion, fennel powder, mustard, sweet chilli sauce, flour, coriander and chives, season to taste.
3. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or deep pot to 180%C. Once the potato mixture is cool to the touch, use your hands to form the mixture into 24 small patties. Deep-fry  until golden and crisp, 2 -3 minutes. Drain on paper towel.
4. For the dip, stir everything together in a medium bowl and season to taste. Serve the fennel and potato cakes with the dip and a side of lemon wedges for squeezing over, if desired, garnish with salt flakes.

Sausage, fennel, beer and barley casserole

Nothing is easier than a hearty one-pot meal, serves 4 easy 1 hr

The flavour combination

10ml (2 tsp) olive oil

8 pork bangers

200g, bacon, diced

1 onion peeled and thinly sliced

240g fennel, thinly sliced

15ml (1tbsp) garlic, peeled and crushed

2,5ml (1/2 tsp) chilli flakes

15ml (1 tbsp) ground cumin

15ml (1 tbsp) smoked paprika

5ml (1 tsp) ground coriander

30ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste

5ml (1 tsp) sugar

330ml beer

2x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

190g pearl barley, salt and ground pepper to taste

125ml (half cup) creme fraiche to serve

handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped, to serve

How to do it

1. Heat large pot over medium heat, add the oil and sausages, and brown, 5 minutes. Add the bacon, onion, fennel and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the chilli flakes, cumin paprika, coriander, tomato paste and sugar, and fry for 5 minutes. Stir in the beer, tinned tomatoes and barley, cover with a lid and simmer until the barley is tender, 30 minutes. Season to taste.
2. Serve each portion topped with a dollop of creme fraiche and a scattering of fresh coriander.
3. Place the onion and garlic in the same hot pan and fry, 5 minutes. Add the orange juice, mustard and cayenne pepper, and pour this mixture over the baby fennel, cover with foil and roast in the oven until tender, 25 minutes.
4. serve warm scattered with fresh basil leaves, if desired.

 Cook’s tips 

Chicken or beef sausages work just as well if you are a non-pork eater, simply adjust the cooking time according to the thickness of the sausages.

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