This is taken from my book: Delicious Dishes for Diabetics which was published in August and is being reprinted–(hooray!).
Based on a recipe from Richard Olney’s Simple French Food, it’s useful company for pork or chicken. It can also serve as a vegetarian main course with some white beans or chickpeas.
The initial cooking helps to caramelize the fennel lightly–so it’s worth taking the time.
Serves 4
2 large or 4 medium fennel bulbs – tough outer part removed, cleaned up and quartered or cut into eighths, if the bulbs are very large
6 or more cloves of garlic – unpeeled, hooray!
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper
6 tablespoons of water
- Put the fennel and the garlic in a pan large enough to hold all the quarters in a single layer.
- Add the olive oil and a little salt.
- Cook, uncovered, on a medium-low heat for 20 minutes, turning as the fennel colours–it should be nicely caramelized by the end.
- Add the water, cover the pan and cook slowly until the fennel is super tender–about 30–40 minutes.
- The quarters should hold their shape and be infused with a deliciously mild taste of the garlic.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve.
Robin Ellis 
Hello Robin these look wonderful,and I bet they are as tasty as they look.
I was looking for a different veg for Sunday dinner, along with your lovely mango surpise.thank you.
Regards to you both Elaine
Sorry missed the R out of surprise, it must be the heat not use to it – Elaine
Congratulations on the re print! It sounds like a great idea for a book. Awesome recipe too sounds really delicious and flavourful.
This sounds yummy. I hardly ever used fennel in cooking but I often look at it in the market and wonder. Someone told me to eat it raw dipped in olive oil but that wasn’t much fun, I tried it in soup and it got lost. “Slow –Cooked Fennel with Garlic” sounds interesting though.
I did try the “Zucchini Gratin” with anchovies and garlic, today as a matter of fact, guess I’m not such a anchovies fan; my husband liked it, he says it is very Mediterranean.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Penny
Hi Penny,
There’s a very simple fennel soup in my book and a fennel salad.
If you slice the fennel very thinly add olive oil and lemon juice mixed to your taste beforehand and some flakes of parmesan you have a healthy salad to go with oily fish like mackerel for example or on its own.
Fennel is easy to offer to children, the soup looks inviting, even to try the risotto …
with the garlic should be very tasty, I’ll try to do it, thanks Robin, as well as being a great actor in the kitchen’re wonderful, but you know us men beat women in the kitchen!! kiss
Another great recipe. I ordered your cookbook in August and was grudgingly prepared to wait until the November release date in the USA. However, I just read that it’s already in a second printing and I should have my order in the next 3-4 days. Simply can’t wait. Congratulations yet again! We discovered fennel several years ago but don’t have many recipes, but we do now. Thank you also for allowing your fans a peek into your private life. You can’t imagine how uplifting and pleasant those posts and pictures are in light of current events as well as the daily problems we all face. Please keep cooking and writing.
Thanks, Pat–much appreciated.
I make a similar recipe to this, Robin, but use verjuice instead of water to get a bit more of a tangy flavour.
While you’re enjoying your Indian summer, here on the southeast coast of Australia where it’s supposed to be Spring with light rain and sunshine we’ve had to pull the winter woollies back out and go back to warming winter recipes while the rain pours down. I’ve lost most of my Spring vegetable seedlings and will have to replant, if it ever stops raining and warms up. Enjoy the warmth!
Congrats on the second printing! I just received an email from amazon yesterday that my pre-ordered copy is on the way so I won’t have to wait another month as originally predicted. The fennel with garlic looks wonderful – I will definitely have to give that a try.
Hooray–I hope you enjoy using it, Cindy!
WhooHoo! Amazon just sent notice my five copies have shipped. Guess who is giving presents?
When are you coming to the USA to visit bookstores? Powells City of Books in Oregon is ther BEST bookstore in the USA! HInt Hint Hint
I’ve never considered fennel as edible, if you want to know the truth. This looks both delicious and do-able.
I’m going to try to share a photo I took out our kitchen window just five days ago when “sunny” South Carolina was hit with a combination of snow and ice. A bright red cardinal landed in the ice-covered branches of a dogwood tree, just a couple of feet away from where a grey squirrel was busily eating seed from a feeder. If you didn’t have to go outside, it was a pleasant experience.