Kitchen Garden Forum

I seam to have a surplus of fennel bulbs all maturing together. One veg I have not tried freezing before.
Is it worth doing? if not any other ideas as to what I could do with it I would be grateful.
I'm sure if I leave it in the ground much longer it will only run to seed.

Beryl.

Fennel can be lovely when braised and the resulting dishes are easy to freeze and a great standby when you need something quickly.

There are lots of recipies but I'd use some onions, carrots, sliced up fennel and stock & herbs/seasoning. Adding bacon works very well too. You don't need to cut the fennel up too much (as it will soften like celery does) but I make sure each "U" shaped piece is at least cut in two and that there aren't any woody bases or stems.

If you start this off on the cooker, it can then go into the oven for an hour or so.

Enjoy!

Sounds delicious Colin - I shall get started this week-end.

Just what I was looking for.

Thanks a bunch.

Beryl.

Hello Beryl
We have frozen fennel before and it works OK. We trim then cut the bulb into 2 or 3 sections and just pop straight in the freezer. When they thaw out they are a bit mushy but excellent for flavouring in say soups, stews or pot roasts, used in the same way as you would a stick of celery. I don't think that you could braise them.

John

Thank you John. yes I think I will try freezing a couple to try and the rest in cooked dishes.

Beryl.

They are good in a stir-fry, as they stay a bit crunchy, and we also like them as a pizza topping.

Yes, I have used them in stir fries, not thought about pizza topping tho'. It was really how they would be after freezing I wanted to know.

Thanks for the ideas.

Beryl.

If you have other suitable veg, i.e. tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes etc., why not make a big batch of ratatouille and include some of the fennel. This freezes well, and I use it to make ratatouille tart afterwards. Just line a quiche dish with pastry, mix some toasted pine nuts into the ratatouille mix and lay that in the bottom. Slice some mozzarella on top and sprinkle with fresh parmesan.
Very easy and tasty meal.

Another good idea - thank you.
Beryl.