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. 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.
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
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.
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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Food in My Back Yard Series
SUMMER
July 15: Does this plant need water?
July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions
July 1: How to grow summer salad greens
June 24: Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
June 17: Help pollinators help your garden
June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests
June 3: Make your own compost
May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?
May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success
April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers
April 8: When to plant summer vegetables
April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths
March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
WINTER
March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds
March 4: Potatoes from the garden
Feb. 25: Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Feb. 18: How to squeeze more food into less space
Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants
Feb. 4: Starting in seed starting
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Garden checklist for week of July 13
Put off big chores and planting until later in the week when the weather is cooler. In the meantime, remember to stay hydrated – advice for both you and your garden.
* Keep your vegetable garden watered, mulched and weeded. Water before 8 a.m. to reduce the chance of fungal infection and to conserve moisture.
* Water, then fertilize vegetables and blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs to give them a boost. Feeding flowering plants every other week will extend their bloom.
* Give vegetable plants bone meal or other fertilizers high in phosphate to stimulate more blooms and fruiting.
* Add some summer color. Plant petunias, snapdragons, zinnias and marigolds.
* From seed, plant corn, pumpkins, radishes, winter squash and sunflowers. Plant Halloween pumpkins now.
* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushy plants and more flowers in September.
* Remove spent flowers from roses, daylilies and other bloomers as they finish flowering.
* Pinch off blooms from basil so the plant will grow more leaves.
* Cut back lavender after flowering to promote a second bloom.
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