GLUTEN-FREE SWEET FENNEL PRESERVE
I really like fennel and often use it in salads, soups and sauces. A few years ago I was delighted to find a recipe in The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller for Candied Fennel - a sweet use of the aniseed flavoured bulb. What a great idea, I thought!
It was one component of a complex dessert recipe but I’ve found that I quite like the sweet aniseed flavours in savoury dishes also. Try our version in our Chargrilled Halloumi with Sweet Fennel Preserve and Chilli recipe to see what I mean.
A jar of the syrupy preserve will last for a very long time in the fridge, ready to add a bit of intriguing ‘je ne sais quoi’ to dishes and desserts.
Caren
SWEET FENNEL PRESERVE
Sterilise 2 glass jars and lids.
2 medium fennel bulbs
½ lemon, juice only
Water
Pinch salt
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
Remove the tops, bases and outer layers of the bulbs. Discard or use for making stock.
Carefully separate the remaining unblemished layers and cut each lengthways into 3cm slices. Place them in a saucepan with the lemon juice, water to cover and salt.
Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes until the slices are easily pierced with a sharp knife. Drain.
Rinse out the saucepan and pour in the 2 cups of water and the cup of sugar. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and add the drained fennel slices and fennel seeds. Simmer for about an hour or until the slices are translucent.
Remove from the heat and after a few minutes distribute the fennel and syrup between the 2 jars. (There may be some syrup left over that can be discarded or stored in another sterilized jar.) When at room temperature, cover with lids and refrigerate. The preserve will keep for a week or two in the fridge.