A light and satisfying dish that goes well with lighter flavored proteins, or pairs well with beans and light grains such as rice or quinoa.
INGREDIENTS:
2 fennel bulbs, stalks removed and used for something 2-4 carrots (enough to make 1 cup or a bit more) cleaned and cut into ¼-inch dice 3-4 potatoes, waxy type such as Yukon Gold, Deirdre, etc., cut into ½-inch cubes 1-2 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice ¼ white or yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch dice 1 cup white wine such as grenache blanc or sauvignon blanc 2 cups light vegetable stock Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons fresh chervil leaves, or to taste (Use scissors to trim leaves from stems) Grape seed, or neutral flavored oil as needed 3 tablespoons butter (or as needed), 2 of which cut into pea-sized bits and kept coldMETHOD:
Put stock over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
While stock comes up to temperature, cut fennel into ½-inch thick wedges, leaving a bit of the core intact to hold the wedges together.
Add fennel to stock and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, just long enough for it to lose the raw edge to it. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and put in a bowl. Drizzle with a little oil to coat.
Do the same with the carrots, and then the potatoes. Put them into a different bowl than the fennel, and drizzle with just enough oil to coat them as well.
Remove the stock from the heat when it has cooked down to 1 cup. Reserve.
Heat sauté pan with a top over medium heat. When pan is hot, add oil to just film the pan and 1 tablespoon butter. When it stops foaming, add the fennel and cook until it has a little color on both sides. Be gentle so the fennel does not break apart.
When colored, add the onions and cook until translucent. Make space in the center and add the carrots and potatoes. Give the pan a shake to level out the additions, and pile the fennel wedges on top of the carrots, potatoes, and onions. Add the white wine and put the top on. Cook until the wine has reduced by 80%.
Season with salt and pepper, and add the stock. Cover and cook until vegetables are just tender, around five minutes. Remove top and add tomatoes and chervil. Toss gently to combine and warm the tomatoes. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm.
Return pan to heat and add half the butter bits to the remaining pan liquid. Swirl pan to melt and emulsify butter into liquid. If the sauce is still quite wet, continue adding a few bits of butter, swirling the pan over the heat to emulsify the butter. Do not get too hot or your sauce will break. Once the sauce seems “creamy” with butter (or you have used all the butter), pour it over the vegetables and serve. If you wish, scatter the dish with a little more fresh chervil leaves to brighten the flavors.
Chef’s Notes: Use this recipe as a bed for poached or baked chicken, or roasted fish with lighter flavors such as halibut, sole, sand dabs, bass, and similar fish. This would be good with poached shrimp with chervil in the poaching liquid as well. The addition of slivers or black olives would make this more robust, but add more chervil if you do.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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