Roasted kohlrabi and fennel salad with green beans

How gorgeous is this purple kohlrabi?? I’d never seen one until a few years ago as it’s not stocked in many shops. But it’s very common in veg boxes and on allotments since apparently it is rarely struck by pests and diseases. In any case, it was a nice change from all the spinach and potatoes we’ve been getting in the box so I was keen to try some new recipes with it…

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Braised fennel and leeks in cream (and a bonus soup)

Everyone knows that the flavour of licorice is a love-hate thing. Personally I’m not a hater but I still struggle with how to use fennel sometimes. That aniseed flavour might go well with all sorts of meat and fish but it can overpower other vegetables quite easily. So I end up using it with onions as a base to stocks and soups and curries but I know I’m not doing it justice.

And that’s where braising comes in! The slow, moist cooking technique brings out the sweetness of fennel and mellows the punch of its licorice flavours. Add a dash of cream and cheese at the end and you even get a bubbling crisp topping too – all of a sudden fennel goes with anything because it’s so subtle and delicious, mmm…

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