How to use fennel fronds: 4 anti-waste recipes to try
Fennel fronds? Don't throw them away, for heaven's sake; with a bit of imagination we can recycle them into simple and appetizing dishes. Here are four to get you started.
Fennel is a vegetable rich in beneficial properties, a food that we can easily enjoy raw or cooked, as a simple snack to break hunger or in more complex dishes. The diuretic, draining and detoxifying effects of fennel are well known and those who love to follow a healthy and balanced diet know it very well, what perhaps not everyone knows, however, is that just like other ingredients of fennel we can eat every part, including the fronds. Those who, like us, love to experiment in the kitchen and try new dishes using what are apparently just scraps to throw away, will be happy to know that with a fennel fronds we can really indulge ourselves and bring tasty dishes to the table. Are you curious? So take a look at these four recipes and you will change your idea of waste.
1. Risotto with fennel fronds
Let's start with a delicious and appetizing recipe, one that will convince even the most skeptical at the first taste; the risotto with fennel beard, a creamy and fragrant dish, very simple to make. While you bring a fragrant vegetable broth to the boil, prepare a simple sauté with onion, garlic, a knob of butter and a few leaves of sage; once ready, start to toast and then cook the rice. At the time of creaming, add the washed and finely chopped fennel beard, the grated parmesan cheese and another knob of butter, then serve immediately.
2. Bucatini with fennel pesto and sardines
In the kitchen we like to experiment but we must admit that with the bucatini with fennel pesto and sardines we have really surpassed ourselves; an extremely easy dish with which you can recycle the fennel fronds in an appetizing way. The scent and freshness of beards meets the sapidity of dried tomatoes and the crunchiness of toasted pine nuts, all made creamy by a decidedly alternative pesto with a strong taste; you just have to take pots and pans, in less than 30 minutes yours bucatini dish will be ready to be served.
3. Herbal tea with fennel fronds
The diuretic, draining and detoxifying properties of fennel are well known but perhaps not everyone knows that even the fronds of this vegetable hides many properties, first of all a powerful digestive effect. The best way to take advantage of this feature is to prepare a delicious herbal tea, perhaps to be sipped after a not-so-light meal. To make the herbal tea with fennel beard, simply boil the beards of 4 or 5 fennels in a liter of water for at least 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest with a lid, then sweeten as you prefer and serve.
4. Soup with beans and fennel fronds
A warm and creamy dish, very easy to make in which the scent of fennel beard meets the sweetness of cannellini beans; the soup with beans and fennel fronds is a genuine and nutritious recipe, as well as an excellent idea of recycling. All you have to do is let the beans soak overnight (unnecessary if you choose to use canned or precooked beans), drain them and cook them in a saucepan, covered with water, until they are very soft. In the meantime, rinse the fennel fronds and boil it for 10 minutes, taking care to set aside a ladle of cooking water; then add the fennel beard to the beans, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, fine salt and black pepper and serve, perhaps with a few slices of crispy bread.
