Fennel Salad

I love the fresh anise flavor of fennel and thought I would make a simple salad to go with dinner last night. This salad turned out absolutely delicious. The fresh taste of the fennel, cucumber, cilantro and spinach was a little taste of summer. The good thing about this salad is that the ingredients are available year round so you can always have a very fresh tasting green salad, even before summer hits.

Fennel Salad

1 Large Cucumber
1 Fennel Bulb
1 Handful of Cilantro, lightly chopped
½ Bunch Spinach
Salt & Pepper
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Peel and seed the cucumber and cut into very thin slices. Next cut the fennel bulb in half, cut out the core and slice as thinly as you can, leaving the frauds. Mix together the cucumber, fennel, cilantro and spinach in a large bowl. Now drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper and mix together. If you don’t care for cilantro, you could substitute a handful of flat leaf Italian parsley.

This is what a fennel bulb looks like if you haven't used this vegetable before. The frauds look similar to dill and the some stores cut these off when putting it out on their shelves. I have also seen fennel labeled as "anise" so don't feel you picked the wrong thing if that's what it's labeled as.

Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce

This is one of my favorite recipes. It has a ton of flavor and is an easy quick meal to make. I had a few people over last week, served this and everyone loved it. I served a fresh tomato salad with a rice-vinegar dressing and basil to start, and then served this with a generous helping of my yummy mashed potatoes; we ended the night with a 3 layer pumpkin cake, yummy! I got this recipe from Giada from the Food Network and changed a couple things.

Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
6 boneless (2-inch-thick) pork chops (about 3 pounds total)
Herbs de Provence
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning meat
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning meat
2 fennel bulbs with fronds, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/3 additional cup
1 cup white wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and lightly chopped

In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and a generous amount of Herbs de Provence. Add the pork to the pan and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside.
Add the fennel, shallots, and 1/3 cup parsley to the pan and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the pork back into the pan, nestling the chops between the fennel and tomatoes so they are mostly submerged in the pan juices. Cook until the fennel is tender and the pork is done, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Place the pork on a serving dish. To finish the sauce, add the lemon zest, remaining 1/3 cup parsley, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon over the pork chops and serve immediately.