Swiss Chard, Fennel & White Bean Gratin

Hopefully this will be one of the last wintery dishes I have to post before spring brings asparagus, ramps and freshness to my kitchen.  But this hearty side is a great way to combine winter veggies into a healthy, tasty dish.

This recipe comes from Serious Eats but I pretty much halved it. Here's what you need: 

Spatchcocked Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

I love to roast chicken but I've never used this method before.  To spatchcock means to remove the backbone of the chicken and flatten it for even cooking.  You can grill or roast it and it cooks in less time than a traditional chicken. Mine was also much more juicy and flavourful than the last chicken I roasted, but I can't be certain the method was the reason.  Regardless, it was a rousing success!

I served it with fennel and colourful carrots roasted on the same pan, and some steamed green beans.  

Roasted Shrimp & Fennel with Quinoa

I don't know why I love fennel so much.  I don't like liquorice at all and anise is the main flavour of fennel.  But when it's roasted it tastes so sweet and delicious.  I thought I'd try roasting it with some shrimp and serving it over quinoa.  It turned out great!

Easy!  Here's what you need:

I bulb fennel
1 lb large raw shrimp, shelled but tails left on
1 onion
1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 cup quinoa
olive oil
hot pepper flakes (optional, not pictured)
salt and pepper

First peel and chop the onion into wedges and spread in roasting pan.

Remove the tops from the fennel, reserving the green fronds.

Core and slice the fennel and add it to the roasting pan with the onions.

Chop the garlic cloves.  Reserve about a teaspoon of chopped garlic.

And add the rest to the roasting pan with the fennel and onion.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Toss together and place in a 400 degree oven and roast about 20 minutes until fennel is tender.  

Meanwhile rinse the quinoa in a mesh strainer for a few minutes until the water runs clear.  Drain well.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large pan and add the reserved chopped garlic and a sprinkle of hot chili flakes.  Cook for about a minute.

Add the quinoa and toss to coat the quinoa with oil.  Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes until quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Zest a lemon.

Toss shrimp with some additional chili flakes, salt and pepper.  

Add the shrimp and all but a teaspoon of the lemon zest and 1/2 cup water to the roasting pan with the fennel and roast 5 minutes until shrimp is pink.

Chop the fennel fronds with the reserved teaspoon of lemon zest for garnish.

Serve up the quinoa on a plate or shallow bowl.

And top with the fennel and shrimp mixture.  

Sprinkle with the remaining fennel fronds and lemon zest and serve.  

Tasty, light and filling.  A great way to serve shrimp in the winter. 

Mussels with Bacon and Fennel

If you've never made mussels at home, what are you waiting for?  They are super cheap and so easy you won't believe it.  This recipe from Serious Eats is actually a little more involved than it needs to be.  You can use basically any vegetables and liquid you like to steam mussels.  Wine, beer, cider, tomato sauce, coconut milk, stock... the possibilities are endless.  

The bacon in this recipe makes them a little more hearty.  With fresh bread this is a full meal.  For a main course, about a pound of mussels per person will do.  I bought a kilogram for about $4.50!

So here's what you need:

1 kg (2lbs) fresh mussels
3 slices bacon
1 small or 1/2 large fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs each fresh thyme and tarragon
1/2 cup white wine
2 tbsp butter
fresh parsley
juice of one lemon

First, prepare your mussels by rinsing under cold water in a colander.  Shake them up a bit.  The mussels should all snap closed.  Discard any that aren't closed tightly. 

Here are the ones I threw away.

Now chop the bacon.

Add it to a large pot over medium heat.

And fry it up until starting to crisp. 

Dice the fennel.

Once the bacon is browning, add the diced fennel to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.

Chop your garlic, thyme and tarragon and add them to the pot along with the wine.

Then dump in the mussels and cover the pot.  Cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pot a few times.

Once the mussels have opened, add the parsley, butter and lemon juice and mix until butter is melted.  Discard any mussels that don't open.  

Serve up the mussels in a large bowl and pour the wine broth, fennel and bacon from the pot over top.

These are great with some fresh bread to dip in the broth.  A hearty, filling meal that's cheap and easy enough for any weeknight.  Delish!  

Roasted Cornish Hens with Fennel

I love chicken but we eat a lot of it.  Sometimes it's nice to have something a little different.  These Cornish game hens are like a having little mini chicken each, so you might feel like a giant while you eat it, which is always fun.  

I love fennel.  It has a very slight liquorice flavour but when it is roasted it becomes deliciously sweet.  I'm also going to roast some Brussels sprouts in a separate pan and steam some yellow beans for a very veggie dinner.

Slice the green tops off the fennel. Save them - I'll tell you why in a minute. 

Then core and slice the fennel bulb.

Place the Cornish hens on top of the sliced fennel in a baking dish and rub the birds all over with a little oil, salt and pepper.  I also sprinkled on a little rosemary and paprika.  Now take those fennel tops you saved and shove a couple inside each Cornish hen with some salt and pepper. 

Turn the hens breast side down and tuck the wings under. I would always read that in recipes and not know what it meant.  Above is what tucked wings look like. It lets the bird cook more evenly without burning the wing tips.

Roast the hens and fennel in a 400 degree oven for about an hour.  Test with a thermometer to make sure they're cooked through.  

About half way through the hens' cooking time flip them over breast side up to brown on top.  At the same time, drizzle halved Brussels sprouts with oil, salt and pepper and bake them on a separate baking sheet for about 30 minutes, flipping them half way through.

Take the cooked hens out of the oven and cover with foil.  Turn off the oven and leave the vegetables in to stay warm while quickly steaming the yellow beans.  

Serve the fennel topped with a hen and the Brussels sprouts and beans on the side.

It's fun, easy and delicious to serve these little hens.  It makes a roast chicken dinner seem fancy and fun!