I thought of this recipe as a challenge, to myself, to create a dish using parts of vegetables that most people, including me, normally throw away. The other day, I was grilling a bunch of sliced fennel bulbs for a catering event. Typically, when you are cooking with fennel, you cut off the tall stalks and only use the bulb. That’s because the stalk is usually tough and not that exciting to eat. But it still has some of that lovely anise flavor. And with the stalk, most times, the fronds also get thrown out.
I created this pesto recipe using fennel stalks, fronds (leaves), and a little bit of the bulb. I then made a salad of carrot peels. That’s another part we usually peel and throw away. But the skin of carrots has a great intense flavor and contains concentrated vitamin C and niacin. This pesto is very versatile and can be used on fish, chicken, or pork tenderloin. See the “Variations” section below for more ideas.
You wouldn’t think so, but fennel is actually a member of the carrot family, although it’s not a root vegetable. When a fennel plant goes to seed, it also produces small yellow flowers among the leaves. Every part of it is edible, from the bulb to the flowers, and it can be eaten raw or cooked. It has a fresh licorice flavor. In fact, many supermarkets mistakenly mark fennel as sweet anise.
Fennel is low in calories, but high in fiber and vitamin C, and contains potassium, folate, and vitamin B-6, to name a few.
It’s a great substitute for celery in dishes for an extra depth of flavor.
Serves 4
Difficulty level: easy to medium
Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs – 1 whole, including fronds and stalks, plus only stalks and fronds from a second bulb
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup almonds
- 1 star anise, soaked in warm water until soft (If you don’t have star anise, or for a more robust licorice flavor, you can add 1 tablespoon of dried fennel seeds.)
- 1 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
- zest of 1 lemon, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice – or more to taste
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- peeled skin of 8 carrots, or 3-4 full carrots including the skin
Instructions
Wash and roughly chop the fennel bulb, stalks, and fronds and add to the food processor. Optional – Save some of the fronds for garnish.
Add the garlic, parmesan cheese, almonds, and star anise, and/or fennel seeds. Pulse until combined.
While the machine is running, slowly add the olive oil until it all comes together and makes a sauce. You may not use all olive oil, or use more, depending on your desired consistency.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Scrub the carrots clean under running water. Use a vegetable brush if you have one. Since you will be eating the skin, you want to make sure it’s clean!
Peel the carrots and put the skin strips in a salad bowl. If using the whole carrot, continue using the vegetable peeler until all the way through the rest of the “meat” of the carrot.
Toss with some of the pesto until all pieces are covered. Adjust seasoning and add more pesto if needed. Garnish with fronds.
Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. The fennel pesto can be kept in an airtight container for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Variations:
- Use the peel of rainbow carrots for a more colorful salad
- Use the fennel pesto on sautéed fish, grilled or sautéed chicken, roast pork, grilled or roasted vegetables or grilled sausages.
- Use as pizza sauce and top with grilled fennel bulb slices, grilled red onions, Italian sausage, and fresh mozzarella cheese
- Add some to your marinara sauce. The fennel flavor tricks your brain into thinking there is sausage in the sauce!
Do Ahead:
- The pesto can be made up to 10 days ahead. Keep in an air-tight container and refrigerate.
- The salad can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.
