Celebrate spring with fennel and sage!

Fennel is one of those beautiful spring plants that provides huge dividends! The bulbs are an aromatic vegetable, the fronds are an herb, and the seeds are a spice—the bulbs are a wonderful addition to a mirepoix, or tossed in a salad, and are delicious braised. Fennel fronds make a tasty pesto. The seeds are used in sausage-making as well as an ingredient in soups, stews, and sauté dishes. And you can harvest the pollen before the fennel goes to seed and use it as a coating for lamb or pork chops, a real delicacy. 

Spring Fennel

When harvested in early spring fennel is sweet and mild. While it is a perennial here in south central Texas, if you let it go until fall to harvest it, it becomes woody and acquires a harsh or bitter taste. Fennel is a host to the black swallowtail butterfly and draws other pollinators, as well. Many gardeners will tell you that fennel makes for a bad neighbor and that it discourages lush growth of vegetables or other herbs planted adjacent to it. I have never found this to be true. Fennel is related to dill and carrots so avoid planting too close to them.

Bees love sage

There are hundreds of sage, or salvia, varieties, so make sure you grow the culinary one, (Salvia officinalis). Like fennel, if sage is harvested in early spring it is mild and is a great addition to soups, stews, and sautés. Its beautiful purple blossoms attract bees. Sage is a tough, drought-tolerant perennial that is a beautiful addition to any landscape. It is easy to dry (you can dry it in your microwave). Lightly salted fried sage is a true delicacy.

Both fennel and sage are deer-resistant.

Viva Tuscany’s Fagioli all’Uccelletto!

I’ve rarely met a bean that I don’t like and I consider myself a bean connoisseur. I’ve grown all kinds of heirloom beans over many years and, on the rare occasion that I don’t like a bean dish, it’s invariably because of the cooking method, not the bean.

When I came across a recipe for “White Beans with Sage, Garlic and Fennel” in March/April 2018 issue of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine I knew immediately that I wanted to make it. With an abundance of sage and fennel in the garden and both at their sweetest right now, this seemed the perfect recipe.

You can use dried beans or canned ones. I do not eat canned beans because of the BPA content in most canned goods and because, in my opinion, they have an “off-taste.” I do use Costco’s canned diced organic tomatoes for the reason that they do not contain BPA. 

For this recipe I used a one-pound package of dry Great Northern beans and one can of Kirkland’s canned diced organic tomatoes. From the garden I used three small fennel bulbs and a couple of long sage branches. I made several small deviations from the published recipe. I had some Red Table black pepper, garlic, and white wine salami in my refrigerator and I diced 2 oz. and cooked off the fat. I drained the salami and wiped out the pan. Saturated animal fat is not something that I consume on a regular basis. 

Next, I fried the sage leaves (in grapeseed oil) in the Dutch oven that I planned to cook the beans in, and used the fragrant oil to sauté the aromatics (onion, fennel, garlic). When the aromatics were soft and translucent, I added the red pepper flakes (from our homegrown Texas Bird Peppers), sage, and salami. I deglazed the mixture with a half-cup of pinot grigio, then added water, soaked dry beans, tomatoes, herbs (2 fresh bay leaves and a sprig of thyme), and salt/pepper to taste. I covered the pot and simmered the beans for a couple of hours until they were done.

The recipe calls for quite a bit of sage and fennel. It seemed like a lot to me, but I used the exact amounts specified in the recipe.

I made some gluten-free Parmesan corn muffins to accompany the beans and I have to say that the meal was a big hit. The beans are meaty and succulent with a background sweetness of fennel. The sage isn’t overpowering at all and it definitely adds a lot of flavor. Red Table Salami is wonderful and contributes a delicious layer of flavor. It’s made from heritage breed hogs sourced from local farms.

We had three meals (six servings) of the beans and froze the remainder. They held up very well and did not get mushy as beans tend to do after a few days. This recipe is a keeper!

Recipe courtesy of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine, March/April 2018

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage, plus 20 whole leaves (for frying)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes

2 15 1/2-ounce cans white beans (see note), 1 can rinsed and drained or 1 pkg. dry white beans, rinsed and soaked overnight

Shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Note: If you use canned beans discard the liquid from one can and reserve the liquid from the other one.

Directions

In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat 3 TBS. of oil until shimmering. Add the fennel, onion, garlic, chopped sage, pepper flakes and 1 tsp. salt. Cover and cook, stirring until softened, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, beans and, 2/3 cup of liquid from the cooked or canned beans.  Cook, uncovered, stirring and maintaining a gentle simmer, for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 3 TBSP oil until shimmering. Add the sage leaves and cook, flipping once, until the edges begin to curl, about 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve the oil.

Transfer the beans to a bowl, then top with the sage oil, fried sage leaves, and Parmesan.

Recipe courtesy of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine