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Fennel and white beans bake into warming side dish

Recipe: Creamy casserole ideal for a winter meal

Out of the oven and topped with fresh fennel fronds, this casserole works as a vegetarian entree or can serve as a side dish to any meat.

Out of the oven and topped with fresh fennel fronds, this casserole works as a vegetarian entree or can serve as a side dish to any meat. Kathy Morrison

Fennel is one of those plants that can be categorized as a vegetable, herb or spice, depending on which part is used.  The bulb can be sliced into salads raw, or sautéed or baked, while the fronds can add depth to salads, and the seeds are used in many savory cooked dishes. 

Ingredients on a countertop including two fennel bulbs
Fennel, lemon and garlic will flavor those beans.

My farm box fennel inspired a hunt for new recipes, and the one here (found on the New York Times Cooking site) was a perfect warming combination for these cold February nights. The raw veggie is mildly licorice-tasting, but baked it mellows considerably. We enjoyed the casserole alongside grilled pork chops and steamed broccoli, but the beans-fennel-cheese combo would be an excellent vegetarian entree, served with a green salad and some whole wheat bread.

Notes: I used one can of cannellini beans and one of navy beans, since either works. I think the smaller beans puree more easily, but go with what you have. Also, I forgot to add the Parmesan shreds to the bread-crumb topping before putting it on the beans, so I sprinkled it on top, which worked just fine. The fennel-fronds garnish adds visual interest and a flavorful zing to the dish.

Any white bean and fennel casserole

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 large fennel bulbs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 leek, white and light green part only, trimmed and thinly sliced, optional

2 (14-ounce) cans white beans, such as cannellini, navy or great Northern

1/2 cup heavy cream, half and half or whole milk

Fennel slices being sauteed
Sauté the fennel to soften.

Zest from 1 lemon, divided

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup or more grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Trim the stalks and tough root end from the fennel bulb, reserving some of the fresh fronds for garnish. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise, then in thin slices across.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, heavy oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced fennel, seasoning with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened but not limp, 10-12 minutes. Stir in the garlic and, if using, the leek, and cook, stirring, another 1 or 2 minutes.

To prepare the sauce, pour 1 can of beans and its liquid into a blender. Pour in the cream or milk, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon zest. Purée until smooth. 

Drain and rinse the other can of beans in a colander. Stir the rinsed beans and the puréed mixture into the skillet with the cooked fennel. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.

For the topping: Place the panko crumbs in a small bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Stir in the remaining lemon zest, the Parmesan and more pepper, and toss to coat. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the beans and fennel in the pan.

Bubbling casserole in a cast iron pan on an oven rack
Bubbling and golden, ready to come out of the oven.

Bake the casserole until bubbling and golden on top,  about 15 minutes. (Broil the top 1-2 minutes more if you want it crisper.) Roughly chop the reserved fennel fronds, sprinkle them over the casserole, and serve.

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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 2

During this stormy week, let the rain soak in while making plans for all the things you’re going to plant soon:

* During rainy weather, turn off the sprinklers. After a good soaking from winter storms, lawns can go at least a week without sprinklers, according to irrigation experts. For an average California home, that week off from watering can save 800 gallons.

* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.

* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.

* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).

* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.

* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.

* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.

* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.

* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.

* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.

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