Everything about food, from matching food and wine to recipes, techniques and trends.

Noodles with fennel cream

Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker

no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21609

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

Noodles with fennel cream

by Robin Garr » Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:46 pm

Noodles with fennel cream

A couple of years ago, when I started fooling around seriously with the idea of taking plant-based cooking up another level, one of the first things I discovered was, as vegetarian wine guru Stuart Yaniger used to say, "The Maillard Reaction is your friend."

Monsieur Maillard's principle - the delicious deep, earthy, complex and gently sweet flavors that result with caramelization from heat will quickly and easily add layers of subtle and intriguing flavor to any dish. Simply start your recipe with deep browning, whether you use the primary veggie itself or onions (always a great pick), garlic, ginger and other veggies first.

Next lesson: Roasting veggies does them enormous favors in the flavor department. Simmering vegetables in water? Meh! Color, aroma, flavor, nutrients all go pouring down the drain when you dump out the liquid in which they simmered.
Braising your veggies in limited liquid that stays in the pan offers one good alternative, and I use it often. But simply tossing your vegetables in oil, then roasting them at 400 to 450F for 15 to 30 minutes or more, depending on the dish, will bring Monsieur Maillard to the party in full formal dress.

Tonight's dinner was actually very simple: Cut a fennel bulb and an onion into chunks, put them in a bowl; add two or three big smashed and peeled garlic cloves, toss with salt, pepper and a good shot of olive oil, brown them for about 10 minutes in a black iron skillet, then ram the skillet into a 400F oven and roast for 10 to 20 minutes or until brown and sweet.

For tonight's dish I put 4 ounces of Amish Kitchens Kluski egg noodles on to boil while making a simple fennel bechamel: a quick roux melt one ounce butter in a saucier, then whisk in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk until blended and light tan; add 1 cup heated whole milk, whisk until thick, and season with black pepper, salt and fennel pollen.

When the noodles are done, drain them well, then stir the roasted veggies into the thick fennel sauce; add the well-drained noodles, stir to blend, check seasonings and serve in warm bowls.
no avatar
User

Jeff Grossman

Rank

That 'pumpkin' guy

Posts

6980

Joined

Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:56 am

Location

NYC

Re: Noodles with fennel cream

by Jeff Grossman » Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:52 am

Sounds excellent. Is 20 minutes really enough to brown the vegetables in the oven? I have tried this occasionally and I never get anything desirable to happen.
no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21609

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

Re: Noodles with fennel cream

by Robin Garr » Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:11 am

Jeff Grossman/NYC wrote:Sounds excellent. Is 20 minutes really enough to brown the vegetables in the oven? I have tried this occasionally and I never get anything desirable to happen.

It sure is if you do the skillet browning step first, Jeff! Otherwise, no, but 30 minutes might be. Depends on the veggies and the cut. Fennel also tends to fall into slices (like onions), and those may cook faster, too.
no avatar
User

Howie Hart

Rank

The Hart of Buffalo

Posts

6389

Joined

Thu Mar 23, 2006 4:13 pm

Location

Niagara Falls, NY

Re: Noodles with fennel cream

by Howie Hart » Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:46 am

Thanks Robin - nice discussion. Home made noodles might be a step up. I've made them for carbonara. Worth the 10-15 minutes extra prep time.
Chico - Hey! This Bottle is empty!
Groucho - That's because it's dry Champagne.
no avatar
User

Jeff Grossman

Rank

That 'pumpkin' guy

Posts

6980

Joined

Sat Mar 25, 2006 7:56 am

Location

NYC

Re: Noodles with fennel cream

by Jeff Grossman » Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:31 am

Robin Garr wrote:It sure is if you do the skillet browning step first, Jeff! Otherwise, no, but 30 minutes might be. Depends on the veggies and the cut. Fennel also tends to fall into slices (like onions), and those may cook faster, too.

Thanks, Robin.
no avatar
User

Robin Garr

Rank

Forum Janitor

Posts

21609

Joined

Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:44 pm

Location

Louisville, KY

Re: Noodles with fennel cream

by Robin Garr » Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:38 am

Howie Hart wrote:Thanks Robin - nice discussion. Home made noodles might be a step up. I've made them for carbonara. Worth the 10-15 minutes extra prep time.

Howie, that raises an interesting question, though, that also applies to Italian pasta: In my opinion, fresh and dried pasta are two different things, and each has its purpose. Fresh tend to be light and delicate, but dried cook up with more of an al dente toothiness. This particular kluski noodle has a distinct "bite" that worked well with the long-roasted veggies, and I'm not sure I would have preferred fresh in this context. On the other hand, I'd sure be willing to give it a try! :mrgreen:
no avatar
User

Paul Winalski

Rank

Wok Wielder

Posts

7957

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 9:16 pm

Location

Merrimack, New Hampshire

Re: Noodles with fennel cream

by Paul Winalski » Tue Jan 14, 2014 10:34 pm

Robin,

This dish is really inspired!

-Paul W.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: AhrefsBot, ClaudeBot and 1 guest

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign