Ask Miss Cay: What can I do with Fennel?

There has been a bulb of Fennel lying in the bottom of my fridge for just over a week now. Every time I open my crisper tray, it just stares at me, as though to say "Oh Miss Cay. Don't you love me? Can't you use that strange, slightly-booze-addled brain of yours to turn me into something beautiful?" And then I just feel guilty, slam the door shut and go through my recipe books to think of a dish to use this poor neglected vegetable in.

See, I'm desperate to put my bulb of Fennel to good use because it's a pretty amazing ingredient - both in terms of its interesting, aniseed like taste and its perceived medicinal qualities. For example, did you know that it makes up one of the key ingredients of Absinthe? Or that many believe if that if you eat enough of it, you'll improve your eyesight? Or that it's mentioned pretty extensively in Greek and Roman myths? Nope, me neither. No wonder it keeps giving me guilty looks whenever I open my fridge.

The problem I have with it though is that I haven't found much to do with it besides from baking it with a nice piece of firm white fish, or turning it into a 'slaw (which, by the way, is probably one of most hated foody words ever. Please tell me I'm not alone in this). Then I found this wonderful recipe for Fennel, Lemon and Garlic confit from those lovely folks at The Kitchn.

Confit is an old French word for a classic method of food preservation. It simply means food that has been slowly cooked in salt and oil in order for it to keep for an extended period of time. Duck Confit is the most famous use of this method, but you can also use for vegetables and other meats as well. This version is bright, fresh and sharp with a real kick from the lemon and fennel, and goes really well with chicken, fish or just tossed with some pasta.

I know what I'll be doing with my fennel tonight - why don't you join me and make this too?

Fennel, Lemon and Garlic Confit (Makes around four medium sized servings)

You will need:

• 1 large bulb of fennel, with stalks and tops
• 1 small lemon
• 6 large cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• Black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Make It!

• Wash the fennel and lemon well. Chop the fennel stalks into 3-4 inch pieces. Chop about half the fronds into bite size pieces - reserve the other half for garnish. Cut the lemon into quarters and remove the seeds. Chop your garlic into thin slivers.
• Melt the olive oil and butter in a heavy, flat-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the fennel, lemon, and garlic. Shake a little black pepper over top and stir in the salt and crushed chilli flakes. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes, or until soft and tender.
• Let the mixture cool, and then blend it in a food processor or with a hand blender until it's nice and chunky. Store in the fridge - this will keep for at least a week - probably up to two.

Scratching your head over what you could do with the contents of your veg box? Why not write Miss Cay a lovely email and she'll endeavour to solve your foodie dilemmas!