Fennel and Mango

We’ve still got some Seabass from the summer in our freezer so Fennel is definitely on the menu in our house this weekend. A simple salad of shavings dressed in the nicest Olive Oil you have and Lemon juice is probably the simplest way to go but if I have the time (15 minutes actually but for some reason that seems a lot at the moment) I’ll be baking it with Lemon juice and Thyme and serving this with a simple Cous Cous salad with, say, toasted Pinenuts, Chickpeas and lots of Parsley although I imagine that as usual Paul and Dan will be shouting out for creamy mash. We’ll see……

Braised Fennel with Lemon and Thyme

You’ll need:

500gr Fennel (about what you have in your bag this week)

Butter

Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Sugar

5/6 sprigs of Thyme or 1 Teaspoon Dried

Juice of half a Lemon

Trim (ie remove the herby bits) and quarter or slice (about 1cm thick will do) the Fennel. Place on a baking tray with all the other ingredients. Cover and bake at a medium heat (about 180 degrees) for about 20 minutes. Uncover, give the ingredients a “stir”, turn up the heat to 200 degrees and cook for a further 25 minutes or until the Fennel is tender and a slightly caramelized.

The Mediterranean selections all have Mangoes this week. They’ll take a few days to fully ripen (your fruit bowl is the best place) and then will be amazing eaten with Vanilla Ice-cream or dipped in dark Chocolate. Enjoy!