Fresh Fennel Pan Gravy Recipes

PAN-FRIED FENNEL

Steps:

• Chop fennel greens and set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Lay some fennel slices in a single layer in the pan; cook until nicely browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and lemon pepper. Remove from pan. Add another tablespoon oil and layer in the next batch of fennel slices and cook the same way. Repeat with remaining oil and fennel. Serve sprinkled with fennel greens.

PAN-FRIED FENNEL

Steps:

• Trim the fennel bulb and cut into slices about 1/4 inch/1/2 centimeter thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy saute pan and fry the fennel on both sides until tender and slightly golden.

FRESH FENNEL PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Scrape pan juices and browned bits from baking sheet into 4-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat; reserve 1/3 cup (or supplement with butter). Add stock to juices to measure 4 cups.
• Heat 1/3 cup turkey fat in saucepan over medium heat. Add fennel cubes and shallot. Sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add liqueur. Return to heat; stir until liqueur evaporates, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour. Cook until flour starts to brown, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in wine, then 4 cups stock mixture. Simmer until gravy coats spoon, about 10 minutes. Add fennel fronds; season with salt and pepper.

PAN-ROASTED CHICKEN & GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Mash garlic and salt into a paste in a small bowl, using the back of a spoon. Stir in pepper and thyme.
• With a sharp knife, remove any excess fat from chicken. Dry the inside with a paper towel. With your fingers, loosen the skin over the breasts and thighs to make pockets, being careful not to tear the skin. Rub the garlic mixture over the breast and thigh meat.
• Heat oil and 1 teaspoon butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning often, until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the chicken until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board; tent with foil.
• Meanwhile, mash the remaining 1 teaspoon butter and flour in a small bowl until a paste forms. Place the pan (use caution, the handle will be hot) over medium-high heat. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Gradually whisk in the butter-flour paste a few bits at a time, until the gravy thickens, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, allowing any fat to rise to the top. Skim off the fat with a spoon. Carve the chicken and serve with the gravy. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

ROAST CHICKEN STUFFED WITH FENNEL AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Cook fennel in large pot of boiling salted water until tender when pierced with knife, about 8 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons oil; garlic; 1 tablespoon each fennel seeds, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, and marjoram; then 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix remaining 1 tablespoon each fennel seeds and herbs in small bowl. Rinse chickens inside and out; pat dry. Rub chickens inside and out with lemon halves, squeezing some of juice into cavities. Rub outside of chickens with 1/4 cup oil, then fennel seed mixture. Sprinkle chickens generously with salt and pepper. Loosely stuff chickens with some of fresh fennel mixture. Tie legs together. Place chickens, breast side down, in large roasting pan. Arrange remaining fresh fennel mixture around chickens.
• Roast chickens 30 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices. Combine wine and broth and pour over chickens. Roast 15 minutes. Turn chickens breast side up. Roast chickens until juices run clear when pierced with fork in thickest part of thigh, about 40 minutes longer. Transfer chickens and fennel mixture to platter. Pour pan juices into bowl; skim off fat. Pour juices over chickens and serve.

PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Pour pan drippings into a measuring cup. Loosen the browned bits from the roasting pan and add to drippings. Skim fat. , Reserve 1/4 cup fat and transfer to a small saucepan; whisk in flour until smooth. Add enough broth or water to pan drippings to measure 2 cups. Gradually stir into flour mixture in saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and browning sauce if desired.

PAN-FRIED FENNEL

Steps:

• Remove tops and fronds from fennel bulbs. Slice each bulb in half widthwise. Cut each half into slices about 1/8 inch thick.
• Pour flour into a medium bowl and bread crumbs into another. Season with the salt and pepper. Crack eggs into a third bowl; whisk until frothy. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge fennel lightly in flour, then in egg, and then in bread crumbs, shaking off excess after each step.
• Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Check to make sure the oil is hot enough by tossing a pinch of flour into the pan. If the flour sizzles, the oil is ready.
• Fry fennel slices until golden brown on each side, about 30 seconds per side, working in batches so as not to crowd pan. Drain on paper towels; season with salt. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

FRESH FENNEL MEDLEY

Steps:

• Trim long stalks from fennel down to the bulb.
• Chop and reserve 2 tablespoons of feathery greens from stalks.
• Slice bulb into thin strips.
• Prepare a medium skillet with cooking spray.
• Heat oil in skillet; saute fennel strips and onion until fennel is crisp-tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper.
• Garnish with chopped fennel greens.

SIMPLE PAN GRAVY

Steps:

• While the turkey rests, make the gravy: Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the turkey pan drippings into a medium bowl, leaving behind any browned bits, or "fond," stuck to the pan. Press down on the solids to get as much liquid as possible into the bowl; discard the solids. Pour the liquid into a measuring cup or a fat separator and allow the fat to rise to the top. Meanwhile, place the roasting pan across two burners over medium-low heat. When the pan is sizzling, add the wine and stir, scraping up all the fond in the pan. Turn off the heat and pour the wine mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl.
• Ladle or spoon off the fat from the pan drippings and discard; set aside the jus. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Then sprinkle in the flour and whisk until the flour is completely incorporated and light golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the wine mixture, whisking constantly. When it has fully absorbed into the roux, slowly add the reserved jus. Small additions of liquid and continuous whisking are the keys to smooth gravy.
• Finish the gravy by adding turkey or chicken stock a ½ cup at a time and whisking; taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. (You'll need a total of 2½-3 cups of liquid to make the gravy.) When the gravy is thick yet pourable and perfectly seasoned to taste, transfer it to a bowl or gravy boat and serve immediately.