braised fennel with chilli, lemon & thyme

did you know that all parts of the fennel are edible? you can eat the roots, stalks and even the leaves! i always thought of fennel as a spice until i saw the spring issue of bbc's goodfood magazine which has a great looking photo and recipe for a braised fennel dish. it take a bit long to make but the end result is just so delicious. the red chilli, lemon juice and wine mix brilliantly with the garlic, thyme and coriander to give the vegetable a lip-smacking flavour.

here's the recipe which can be found on page 75 of the april issue of bbc's goodfood:

serves 6
easy
prep 10 mins, cook 25 mins, healthy, low fat
this is good with any piece of fish, but the delicate flavour of the fennel works particularly well with sea bass. (i made it as a side dish with rigatoni and tomato sauce with eggplant and mozzarella).

3 tbsp olive oil
4 fennel, quartered
2 thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted
glass dry white wine (about 125ml/4fl oz)
1/2 red chilli, finely chopped
juice 1 lemon
handful parsley leaves, chopped

heat the olive oil in a saute pan and fry the fennel for 5 mins until it starts to brown. stir in the thyme, garlic, coriander, fennel seeds then splash in the wine. lower the heat and cook gently for another 20-25 mins, until the fennel is just cooked. next add the chilli and the lemon juice, then cook for a few minutes more. scatter over the parsley and serve.