Braised Fennel With Meyer Lemon and Parmesan
Updated March 9, 2023
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2fennel bulbs, fronds attached
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½cup chicken broth
- Grated rind and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
- Sliced Parmesan cheese
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Preparation
- Step 1
Trim the fennel and roughly chop 1 tablespoon of the fronds. Halve each bulb through the core, then cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick slices.
- Step 2
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough oil to coat the pan. When hot, cook half the fennel, without moving, until browned, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining fennel, adding more oil to the pan if needed.
- Step 3
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the fennel, broth, lemon rind and juice and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl. Raise the heat to high and reduce the sauce until syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Fold the sauce and reserved fronds into the fennel and top with Parmesan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
Wanted a great fennel dish for dinner and this was it. Did modify it a bit by taking a few ideas from David Tanis' Fennel al Forno recipe, particularly by adding the fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and the chopped rosemary and also added chopped fennel fronds.
Easy, yummy, wonderful recipe. Added vermouth to skimpy amount of sauce before reducing. Used fennel seeds and small amount red pepper flakes as recommend by Pat. Came out perfect---guests raved.
A splash of Sambuca, Pernod or Ouzo won’t hurt here.
Really nice! Tripled the broth by accident but it ended up being just the right amount at the end to coat a half pound of penne mixed in. Added red pepper flakes, simmered more like 13-15m, and used a regular lemon. Delightful!
A easy weeknight dish! For a simple cool weather supper on the porch, I served this lovely braise along with toasted baguette rounds, Brie, and salami. I slightly increased the liquid by adding a splash of rose wine before adding a generous half cup of broth. Pepper flakes were a great addition. Also saved some fresh zest to stir in at the end, lovely!
Maybe our California Meyer was too much in its glory, but i did feel the rind and juice overpowered the fennel. IMHO, all fennel needs is salt and pepper, but of course, I love to dally with accoutrements. All the other additions in the reviews seem to depart from this recipe so it's hard to know if it's a standout. I love red pepper, fennel seed (and rosemary(!)—maybe someone needs to come up with a new recipe! Sliced parm is the way to go to accentuate away from the intense lemon flavor.
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