Description
This easy Braised Fennel recipe is golden, caramelized, and meltingly tender! Oven-braised with white wine and thyme, it’s an elegant, flavorful side dish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 large fennel bulbs (or 3 medium)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup white wine (or skip it)
- 1 cup veggie broth or chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (or maple syrup)
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- few sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Prep. Trim the fennel bulbs, leaving the core intact. Cut in half, then into quarters. If large, cut into eighths. The largest part of the wedge should be about 1 ½ inches thick.
- Sear. Heat a braiser (or large oven-proof skillet with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, and season the oil with salt. Sear the fennel pieces until each side is golden, 4-5 minutes per side, lowering the heat as necessary. Work in batches or use two pans if overly crowded.
- Simmer. Add the wine, if using, and cook it mostly off. Stir the sugar into the broth and add it to the pan. Sprinkle with fennel seeds and black pepper, and tuck the thyme sprigs into the broth, saving a few pieces for garnish.
- Bake. Cover tightly and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife easily pierces the thickest part of the fennel bulb. You want these very tender.
- Serve with a few pieces of fresh thyme.
Notes
Feel free to skip the wine. A splash of sweet vermouth or Pernod is nice here; be sure to cook it off.
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can make this 2-3 days ahead and reheat it; store it in the braising liquid.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2-3 wedges
- Calories: 81
- Sugar: 1.8 g
- Sodium: 303.6 mg
- Fat: 7.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
