Category: Contorno/ Vegetables

ANTIPASTO – GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES AND A SCOOP OF SALADS

An antipasto of grilled summer vegetables and a scoop of salads are one of the simplest and most satisfying meals. When eggplants and peppers are abundant in summer and autumn, there is little that can rival a generous platter of beautifully grilled seasonal vegetables dressed with excellent extra virgin olive oil or some of the sauces I have listed below.

They are equally at home as a light starter, part of an antipasto spread or alongside grilled meat, fish or cheese as part of the main meal.

Grilled vegetables are a classic Italian antipasto, especially when summer eggplants, zucchini and peppers are at their best
Choose the Best Seasonal Vegetables

Eggplants and peppers are favourites, but zucchini deserve a place on the platter too. Depending on the season, I also like to include asparagus, broccolini or green beans. Even leftover cooked vegetables from the previous evening can be transformed into something special.

The vegetables can be cooked over a barbecue, on a grill plate or in the oven. The important thing is to cook them until they are tender and lightly charred, bringing out their natural sweetness.

Once grilled, all they need is a drizzle of good-quality extra virgin olive oil, finely chopped garlic, fresh parsley and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice.

Charring peppers on the BBQ

The vegetables can be grilled on a BBQ or Grill press or in the oven.

Grilling eggplants the Grill Press

Vegetables – Add Freshness and Crunch

One of the pleasures of a grilled vegetable platter is that it can be different every time.

For contrast, add finely sliced celery, fennel, cucumber or even crisp apple. Tomatoes, spring onions and fresh basil also work beautifully. These fresh ingredients add colour, texture and brightness while the olive oil ties everything together with its fragrance and richness.

Simple ingredients, thoughtfully combined, rarely disappoint.

Grilled vegetables with other ingredients
Romesco Sauce – A flavourful Accompaniment

Recently, I noticed the same idea in two different restaurants. Both served grilled vegetables with generous dollops of Romesco sauce on the side.

One dish featured grilled asparagus topped with crisp fried breadcrumbs. The other showcased grilled eggplant, cooked until soft and then roughly mashed rather than served in slices. The creamy eggplant paired beautifully with the smoky, nutty Romesco.

A slice of rustic bread was all that was needed to scoop up the vegetables and every last spoonful of the sauce.

And, of course, another drizzle of excellent extra virgin olive oil completed the dish.

Summer tomatoes and basil
SALSA ROMESCO (Romesco Sauce with Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes and Almonds)

Romesco is a rich, smoky sauce that pairs beautifully with grilled vegetables, seafood and meats. This version combines roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic and almonds, resulting in a sauce that is full of flavour and wonderfully versatile.

Char-grill or barbecue the peppers whole until the skins are blackened. Peel away the skins, remove the seeds and tear the flesh into strips. If using fresh tomatoes, cut them into large pieces and grill them alongside the peppers. Roast or grill the garlic until soft.

Blend the roasted vegetables with the almonds and the remaining ingredients until you achieve the texture you prefer—either smooth or slightly coarse.

Romesco Sauce with Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are a traditional alternative to almonds and give the sauce a richer, deeper flavour. In this version, all of the vegetables are roasted in the oven rather than grilled.

Use the same ingredients as the recipe above, substituting hazelnuts for the almonds.

Place the tomatoes, peppers and a whole head of garlic in a lightly oiled roasting tray and roast in a preheated 190°C oven. Remove each vegetable as it becomes tender: the tomatoes will take about 10 minutes, while the peppers and garlic will need approximately 30–40 minutes. Once cooled, peel the peppers and garlic, then blend with the remaining ingredients to your preferred consistency.

Sauces, see also:

SALSA ROMESCO (Romesco sauce, this recipe is made with roasted peppers, tomatoes and almonds)

SALAMURRIGGHIU – SALMORIGLIO (Dressing made with oil, lemon and oregano)

SAUCES for meat, fish and vegetables to brighten up your Christmas

SARSA DI CHIAPPAREDDI (King George Whiting presented with a sauce made with capers and anchovies)

Other recipes for grilled Peppers:

ROASTED CHARRED PEPPERS

PEPPERS WITH BREADCRUMBS- PIPI CA MUDDICA – PEPERONI CON LA MOLLICA

 

 

 

 

 

Ways to cook leafy green vegetables. Purslane and Malabar spinach

I have just returned from being away over Christmas and New Year and am pleased to find that purslane plants have sprouted in my various pots on my balcony. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a weed in Australia. It grows in many parts of the world including southern Italy and is very much appreciated in various cuisines especially in The Middle East, Greece, Crete and Mexico.

I rescued a purslane plant from the roadside last summer and planted it in a pot; it soon grew from a single taproot and formed a large, thick mat of stems and leaves. Throughout hat summer I collected the small, fleshy leaves and the most tender parts of the stem for various salads and I also sprinkled leaves on top of cold soups – this added flavor, texture and colour.

The raw leaves are succulent and crisp and have a tart and lemony flavor. Taking notice from some of the Greek traditional recipes I liked them mixed with ingredients such as tomatoes, basil and feta. Recipes are meant to be broken and of course I added my own touches and various ingredients. I also like mixed green leaf salads. Below rocket, purslane, fresh mint leaves, pine nuts, extra olive oil  and lemon juice.

Towards the end of summer the plant had grown far too large and woody and I pulled it out. It is a seasonal plant and by then the mature plant had obviously scattered its small black seeds in my other pots.

I think that if I had a garden I would find Purslane very invasive, hence appropriately called a weed in this part of the world that does not have a long continuous history of foraging. The culture of foraging in Australia has been largely disregarded over the past 200 years. For tens of thousands of years and before European settlers the Aboriginal people foraged native flora and there is also historical evidence pioneers and explorers ate wild greens.

Purslane can also be cooked on its own or added to other greens;I rather like the mucilaginous gel-like consistency it adds to food (like Okra) but many people do not.

This climbing plant above is growing in one of my friend’s back garden in North Adelaide. (The potted plants below are his too.). The plant is Basella rubra, commonly known as Malabar spinach, Vine spinach or Ceylon spinach. This creeping vine is the variety of Basella with purplish-stems and deep-green leaves with pink veins.

Basella is a popular tropical leafy-green vegetable native to south Asia and eaten widely in Asian countries where it is known by a variety of local names, for example and to name a few, it is mostly known as saan choy in China, mong toi in Vietnam, pui saag in parts of India, remayong in Malaysia and alugbati in the Philippines.

This photo above is  Basella alba – unlike my friend’s plant in Adelaide the stems are green and the plant will have a small white (alba) flower rather than crimson (rubra). I bought this bunch with its deep-green, oval to heart-shaped leaves a from the stall where I usually buy my Asian greens at the Queen Victoria Market

Like spinach Basella alba and Basella rubra it is a very versatile vegetable. The young leaves can be eaten raw and the larger leaves are cooked and depending on the regional cuisines it can be added to soups, in stir fries, curries etc. Like purslane the leaves are fleshy and thick, they remain crisp and taste of citrus when raw and when cooked the leaves soften and taste slightly mucilaginous. Basella doesn’t wilt as much as spinach.

Basella leaves remind me very much of Warrigal Greens. (Tetragonia tetragonioides ) is a leafy groundcover also known as Botany Bay spinach, Cook’s cabbage, kōkihi (in Māori), New Zealand spinach,. Although I have cooked this green many times before I do not have any photos.

I cooked the leaves of the Basella alba and sautéed them in extra virgin olive oil with garlic. On this occasion, I wanted a conventional green vegetable side dish to accompany a main of fish. If however, I had wanted to cook them in a Chinese way, I may also add spring onions, fresh ginger, chili, sesame oil, oyster or soy sauce. Maybe for a Japanese recipe I would add mirin or miso. Although I am typecasting some ingredients you will understand what I mean.

And would I have fed these vegetables to my mother?  No way…. but maybe if I had used some typical way of cooking Italian greens she may begin to appreciate them.

Here are some conventional ways of cooking greens the Italian way:

Boiled

Bring a small amount of lightly salted water to boiling Add the greens. Cover the pan and cook until tender or to your liking.
Optional: Cook the greens using only the water still clinging to leaves; cover, and cook until wilted, stirring halfway through.
Drain the greens well in a colander.
Dress with some extra virgin olive oil, adjust the seasoning if necessary (add pepper is optional) and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Sautéed

Heat some olive oil, add the garlic, (chillies and the anchovies are optional).
Add the vegetables sauté for a few minutes until they begin to wilt.
Add white wine (if liquid is needed), cover and cook till softened. (Some cooks pre-cook the greens and then sauté them – this may not be necessary).

Optional: chillies to taste, and /or a few anchovies can be added at the same time as the garlic.

With pine nuts and currants

Soak some currants in a little warm water to plump them (about 10 mins). Drain before using. In a small pan toast pine nuts by tossing them around until light golden. They burn easily, do this quickly. Set aside.
Heat some olive oil, add some garlic, add greens and sauté until wilted. If necessary, drain off any liquid.
Return the greens to the pan. Add currants and pine nuts and sauté a few minutes more.

Optional: add cinnamon or nutmeg and/ or grated lemon peel.
Cook in butter instead of oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SORREL, Italians call it acetosa

I once lived in Adelaide and I successfully grew and cooked sorrel.

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I used it liberally in hollandaise and egg mayonnaises (wilted or raw and cut very finely). I loved these sauces with asparagus, beans and potatoes. I added young leaves to mixed-leaf salads, cut leaves into chiffonade to decorate and add an intense lemony tang to raw and cooked foods. I added it to soups and braises, fish, veal or pork stews and sautéed it with other vegetables. It was great in frittata, too. Because of its intense, sharp flavour you only need small amounts of leaves and when they’re cooked, the bright green spinach-like leaves melt to a yellow-green, mushy purée. It may not sound appealing but it is.

I eat extremely well when I visit South Australia both in restaurants and in homes. During my recent trip I encountered sorrel at three different times at different friends’ houses.

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I was delighted with a sorrel Granita by one friend in her house in Eden Hills (a suburb of Adelaide). It was presented with a sorbet made of elderflower cordial (she made this), golden caster sugar and water syrup and St Germain elderflower liqueur.  what you see in in the photo above are the Granita and sorbet, plus elderflowers (from her garden). These were topped with Prosecco. Amazing!

This was not dessert – it was presented as a palate cleanser in between courses. It could easily double up as a dessert- a  very simple solution is to pair it with vanilla ice cream rather than an  elderflowers sorbet….not every cook is as skilled as this friend.

See recipe for the sorrel Granita at end of post.

Friends in North Adelaide offered me potato and sorrel soup for lunch. I had  enjoyed this before at their house and it can be eaten hot or cold.

I also visited friends in Ardrossan (a coastal town on the Yorke Peninsula about 90 minutes from Adelaide) and found red sorrel growing in their garden. This friend presented some of the attractive young leaves in a leafy salad. She also wilts it like spinach and has made a quiche with some of the leaves.

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I told her I knew nothing about red sorrel. I thought that maybe Bunnings had made a mistake (she found it in the Herbs section of this store). Was it really a culinary herb or an ornamental plant? My friend, now concerned and thinking that she should sue Bunnings found a link on the web, and sure enough, red sorrel leaves are considered edible…. despite my misgivings.

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The story doesn’t stop there. Now back home in Melbourne I found a small bunch of red sorrel at my regular supplier of green vegetables – Gus and Carmel’s stall in The Queen Victoria Market, called IL FRUTTIVENDOLO . I stored it in the fridge in a container  partially filled with water. I store asparagus in the same way.

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Believe it or not there is a lot of information on the web about sorrel that is considered to be at its best in Spring. There is the French sorrel (Rumex scutatus) with distinctly small, bell-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves; English sorrel (Rumex acetosa) with broader leaves- both of these have leaves with a smooth texture. Red sorrel (Rumex sanguineus) is  very attractive and has tapered light green leaves with dark maroon veins and stems. Not surprisingly it is also called Bloody Dock. When cooked, it bleeds like beetroot leaves (which I eat). First discard the bottom tough part of the stalks and then wilt the leaves as you would silver beet or spinach.

Both French sorrel and English sorrel are used interchangeably. It is also sold interchangeably and usually just labelled as ‘Sorrel.’ The French variety with the smaller arrow shaped leaves is hard to find . Both sorrels have very similar tastes – the flavour is tangy and pleasantly acidic. This is not surprising as sorrel is related to rhubarb, recognized for its tartness that comes from oxalic acid. Some texts advise to use sorrel sparingly and warn that it can be toxic to animals. The red sorrel has been primarily grown as a decorative foliage but can also be eaten. The taste is not as sharp and sour as the French and English sorrels and the larger leaves are tougher and slightly bitter rather than tangy., however when cooked they do break down considerably.

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Sorrel has been used as a culinary ingredient by the early Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. It was used during medieval and in Tudor times in England and France and it is still popular in French cuisine.

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Italians have many words for sorrel. They call it acetosa and acetina, acetosella, ossalina or erba brusca. There are even names for sorrel in dialect. It is known as pan e vin in Friuli, Veneto and Treviso regions. The Sicilians call it aghira e duci or agra e duci. The list of the various regional Italian names for sorrel can be found on a site by the Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita, Università di Trieste. The culinary uses in Italian cuisine suggested in the texts that I have seen are the same as in other cuisines: the young leaves are served raw in salads and the cooked leaves accompany fish, meat or eggs and in cream sauces and soups.
Sorrel is also found in some Asian cuisines for example in Vietnam it is known as rau chua (sour herb) or rau thom.  It is not surprising that in Vietnamese it translates as sour herb – from old French surele, from sur, sour. I had one quick look for a Vietnamese recipe that uses sorrel and ‘sour soup’ seems to be popular.

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Notice that my bunch is just  called ‘Sorrel’. So unfair for those who are not familiar with the other sorrels!

And what did I do with my small bunch of red sorrel?

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There were no leaves in the bunch that I considered ‘small’ so I did not add them to a salad. I  added the leaves to some hot extra virgin olive oil and garlic, added the leaves and wilted them. I then added some cooked Puy lentils. I was pleased with the results and presented and made a nice accompaniment to fish cooked with with tarragon and vermouth , cauliflower and baked tomatoes.

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My friend’s (Libby Round) recipe for Sorrel Granita 

Equal weight of French sorrel leaves (with that lovely sour taste) and simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water). The sorrel must not be cooked. Just blitz the leaves with the syrup and then strain through a fine strainer. Add a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt to taste and then pour into a container and put in the freezer. About every 30 mins or so I stir it to move the ice crystals that evenly through it. When it is completely frozen (and it isn’t rock hard anyway) I just scrape it with a fork to break it into crystals.

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THE AMAZING ARTICHOKE

Artichoke varieties come in an array of amazing colours, with leaves that can be green, violet, or even bronze.

As we approach mid-October in Melbourne, the ‘Green Globe’ variety is nearing the end of its season. Yet, the heads remain tight, heavy, and compact—clear signs of freshness. Luckily for me, the green artichoke I picked didn’t have a hairy choke. However, as the season progresses, the chances of encountering a hairy choke increase.

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In their prime, young artichokes either lack chokes entirely or have a small, easily removable one. As they mature and approach the end of their season, the inedible, hairy choke becomes more prominent, forming part of the seed body. This transformation occurs when artichokes are left to ripen fully on the plant.

Meanwhile, the violet-tinged variety have been in my favorite vegetable stall at the Queen Victoria Market for weeks now. These will remain in season a bit longer, as long as the weather stays cool. Be cautious when handling them, though—their spiny leaf tips can be quite prickly!

For green artichokes, autumn is truly their time to be at their best. Regardless of the variety, I always look for artichokes that are compact and tightly closed, steering clear of any that appear open, dry, or curled at the edges.

Artichokes are a seasonal delight, and choosing the right ones ensures they’re as delicious as they are beautiful.

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When I purchase any variety of artichokes I always select artichokes that are compact and avoid opened out artichokes with curled or dry looking leaves.

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Once stripped of its outer fibrous cover, the top of the stem, is very tender and tasty.

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Stuffed artichokes should always be upright in the saucepan and have the cooking liquid three quarter -way up. Sometimes I cook potatoes with artichokes to prop them upright.

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For recipes with artichokes see:

A QUICK PASTA DISH for Spring: artichokes, asparagus, peas

Artichokes From the Growers

Carciofi (Artichokes and How to Clean Them and Prepare Them for Cooking)

Carciofi Farciti (Stuffed Artichokes: with Meat and with Olives and Anchovies)

Carciofi Imbottiti (Stuffed Artichokes)

Stuffed Artichokes with Ricotta and Almond Meal

PASTA ALLA FAVORITA (Pasta with artichokes, broad beans, peas alla favorita)

Carciofi (Artichokes)

Carciofini Sott’ Olio (Preserved Artichokes in Oil)

Globe Artichokes and Jerusalem Artichokes

When artichokes are in season, I obviously cannot get enough of them.

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RED CABBAGE- CAVOLO ROSSO- with black olives, garlic, red vinegar and anchovies

Red cabbage, sautéed or braised with apple, red wine vinegar, juniper berries, caraway seeds and cloves is the most common  way  I cook it in my kitchen. Sometimes I add walnuts and at other times some raw bacon – all delicious, but same old, same as.

Shredded red cabbage is also good uncooked in a salad, especially with strong flavours – black olives, garlic, red wine vinegar and anchovies – and these ingredients can be used in both a salad and a cooked version of red cabbage.

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Ingredients

Red cabbage sliced thinly, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaves, lemon and pitted black olives and anchovies to taste ( I like both anchovies and black olives and add generous amounts of both).

Red Cabbage as a salad with black olives, garlic, red vinegar and anchovies
Make this salad about 2 hours before serving.

Place the shredded or finely cut red cabbage into a bowl that has a lid.
Mix chopped garlic with chopped anchovies,  plenty of extra virgin olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, a little salt (olives and anchovies will be salty), bay leaves and red wine vinegar.
Add this to the cabbage and mix well. Leave it to marinate so flavours can infuse.
Drain the red cabbage if there are excessive juices. Taste it and add a little more oil and a little lemon juice if it needs it. Add black olives and grated lemon peel and serve.

If you would like a bit of green, slice some spring onions and sprinkle on top.

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Sautéed cabbage with black olives, garlic, red vinegar and anchovies

Unlike in certain recipes where it is often suggested to cook red cabbage for about an hour or more, I never cook it for longer than 15-20 minutes,

This recipe benefits from the addition of lemon juice at the end

In a heavy based saucepan heat a few tablespoons of oil, add the chopped garlic with chopped anchovies- the anchovies will dissolve in the heat.
Add the cabbage, salt and pepper and sauté for a few minutes to soften the cabbage.
Add the vinegar, bay leaves and black olives and stir through.
Cover and cook on low heat until it is softened and cooked to your liking. If it is too dry add a little water or red wine while it is cooking.

When it is cooked add the juice of one lemon, mix and serve.

Although these recipes have southern Italian flavours, red cabbage can be difficult to find in southern Italy and is far more common in the north.

Below is one of Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings of petunias – these vibrant colours are almost identical  of the colours of red cabbage.

 

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A MOUNTAIN OF CAPONATA – two days before Christmas

To make a Caponata Catanese you will need:
Mountains of eggplants, peppers, celery, onion, capers and green olives…..a few red tomatoes, pine nuts, basil and the characteristic caramelized sugar and vinegar to deglaze the pan that makes the agro – dolce sauce.

Two days before Christmas and the caponata needs to be made so that the flavours mellow.

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In a couple of days it will be perfect!

Ready for more fresh basil and pine-nuts and ready to be presented to guests. The first lot will be on Christmas eve – it will be served as the antipasto without any other food, just a little, good quality, fresh bread for those who wish to mop up the juices.

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For other caponate (plural) recipes see:

Caponata (General Information and Recipe for Caponata di Patate – potatoes)

Caponata Siciliana (Catanese – Caponata As Made in Catania). This one contains peppers (capsicums).

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FENNEL CAPONATA (Sicilian sweet and sour method for vegetables)

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This caponata is made with celery

CAPONATA DI NATALE (Christmas, winter caponata made with celery, almonds and sultanas)

La Trobe in the City – Ancient Mediterranean Lecture Series, FOOD AND CULTURE IN SICILY: MENU FOR EASTER COOKERY WORKSHOP

This was one of the workshops offered by La Trobe University as part of the 2013 lecture series. It was held on Saturday 23 March 2013.

Marisa displays cime

The session began with a very interesting lecture on the history of food and feasting in Sicily, Italy and the Mediterranean.  Dr Gillian Shepherd is Lecturer in Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Director of the A.D. Trendall Research Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies at La Trobe University. During her lecture she focused on the literary and archaeological evidence for food production and consumption in the ancient world.

I accompanied the lecture with a food workshop and cooking demonstration that reflected the ways Sicilian cuisine has been influenced by the dominant cultures of the Mediterranean from ancient times to the modern day, which includes Greek, Roman, Arabic, French and Spanish cultures.

The recipes I cooked were:
Maccu (pulses)

Caponata (eggplants, peppers, nuts, breadcrumbs). Will be eaten with bread.

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Pasta che sardi – Pasta con le sarde (Sardines, breadcrumbs, currants, pine nuts, wild fennel)

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Ficato ri setti canola:  Sicilian Pumpkin with vinegar, mint, sugar and cinnamon

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For the workshop I collected some wild greens and the audience was able to see the differences between the wild variety and the cultivated species; wild fennel is one of the ingredients in Pasta Con le Sarde.

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Cassata (pan di Spagna/sponge cake, ricotta, nuts, marsala, citrus peel, chocolate and marzipan)

SEE:
SICILIAN CASSATA and MARZIPAN AT EASTER (Food and Culture in Sicily, La Trobe University)

FOOD AND CULTURE IN SICILY: EASTER COOKERY WORKSHOP

 

INSALATA DI FRISÉE (Composite Salad made with frisée)

It is so easy to make a good insalata, called a salad in English. I made an insalata with a frisée to accompany some snapper that was grilled on the BBQ. Dressed with a simple dressing, but you can see how the combination below could be accompanied with some good bread and be a quick easy lunch.

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Chicory, endives and of course puntarelle are also very suitable ingredients for this salad; like frisée they have sturdy textured leaves and slightly bitter taste.

Mint is very much a Sicilian ingredient and contributes significantly to the taste and fragrance of this salad.

INGREDIENTS
1 frisée (French curly endive)
4 large eggs, hard boiled or boiled to taste
5-6 anchovies in oil, or more (to taste)
½ cup of chopped parsley
2 spring onions, sliced finely
20-25 mint leaves  (to taste)
3-4 tomatoes (to taste) cut into halves or quarters
½ cup breadcrumbs made of fresh bread and lightly fried/ toasted in a little extra virgin olive oil

Dressing: juice of 1-2 lemons, 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

PREPARATION
Wash, clean and separate the frisée into bite-size pieces and put in a large bowl. Add chopped parsley, spring onions, tomatoes and mint.
Make the dressing (stir it with a small whisk or a fork).
Dress the salad.
Add the anchovies and place them throughout the salad – in other words, lift some of the ingredients and try to distribute the anchovies evenly.
Peel and cut the eggs in halves and place them on top.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs over everything and there it is.

Green Seasonal Vegetables
Cicoria and Puntarelle
Composite Salad

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FENNEL CAPONATA (Sicilian sweet and sour method for vegetables).

Fennel is still looking really good at the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne and this time I made a fennel caponata.

Select the round specimens when you can – these are known as the male bulbs. The female ones are flatter and reputed to be not as tasty because their energy is going into sprouting and going to seed –  and this explains their shape – they are not as round.

Usually when I make any caponata  including this fennel one, I fry the vegetables separately to best preserve the flavour of the individual vegetables and accommodate the different cooking time each vegetable needs, but because the celery and fennel have similar textures I  generally cook them at the same time.

All caponate (plural) have an essential agro-dolce (sweet and sour) sauce that makes caponata what it is.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium sized fennel
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tender celery stalk and some pale green leaves, finely chopped
¼ cup green olives, pitted and sliced
¼ cup capers (if salted, rinsed and soaked)
1 ripe tomato, peeled and chopped (or canned)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbs wine vinegar, white
salt and pepper to taste

PROCESSES
Prepare the fennel:
Remove any outer layers of the fennel that look damaged, trim the base and discard.  Keep any young, soft fennel fronds to add to the caponata.
Slice the fennel bulbs in half vertically and then into quarters. Continue to cut the fennel into thin slices keeping them attached at the bottom.
Place extra virgin olive oil in the pan and when it is hot add the onion, fennel and celery and sauté until they begin to colour.
Add the olives, capers, tomato and salt. Cover and simmer gently until the fennel has softened (10-15 mins).
Remove the contents from the pan, add sugar to the same pan and stir over medium heat, When it begins to caramelize add the vinegar and evaporate. This is the essential agro-dolce (sweet and sour) sauce.
Return all the contents back into the pan and stir through.

Caponata is presented at room temperature and usually accompanied with fresh bread to mop up the juices.

Other Fennel Recipes:

FENNEL; male and female shapes

TORTINO DI FINOCCHI (A flan of cooked fennel)

FENNEL AND ORANGE SALAD (Insalata di Finocchio e Arancia Sanguina)

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Vegetables in Season- winter, Melbourne, Victoria, September

In Melbourne (Queen Victoria Market Stall no 61-63)
 
Some Links to Previous Posts 
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Make the most of:
Fennel = many posts on All Things Sicilian and More
Artichokes = many posts on All Things Sicilian and More
Witlof
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Get ready for Spring: 
 
Asparagus
 
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