Sausage and Fennel Gnocchi

[branwyn]

Recipe time!

I threw this together with things I had lying around, and it turned out so delicious that I want to be able to recreate it (how most of my own personal recipes start, pretty much)... so I'm writing down the recipe while I still have a chance of remembering it.

Sausage and Fennel Gnocchi6 slabs thick-cut bacon, cut into squares

Comments

[plonq]

>1 bulb fennel, leaves trimmed, core removed, cut in eighths

This has long been on my "would like to buy it and cook it if I had any idea where to start" list. In my minds eye I see myself quartering it and caramelizing it with some olive oil, salt and pepper as a side dish. I could do that on the grill, which would give me an excuse to drink beer while I cooked.

[branwyn]

I was at that phase for a long time.

Then I caved, bought one, and found a recipe online - Braised Fennel with Linguine, as it turned out - that was really good; so I made that semi-regularly for a while. Years later, someone gives me fennel, I can't find the Linguine recipe, so I make this sausage thing.

But both recipes (comprising every way I've ever prepared fennel) sorta cook it beyond retaining much of its licorice flavour, which seems a shame. I like the grilling idea, I think that would help let the fresh flavour shine! I can imagine it being pretty good with a crisp, cold beer, actually. :)

B.

[branwyn]

Oh, tip for grilling - don't core it, and the core will hold the quarters together, otherwise they fall apart. If the core's not tender enough after grilling (I suspect it might not be without the absorption of liquid during cooking) it'll still be easy to cut it out afterwards.

Good luck!

B.

[porsupah]

I think I'd be up for giving this a try. ^_^ I'm not really much on aniseed/liquorice flavors, but, in the right company, I'm pretty sure it could work rather nicely. Needless to say, I've never cooked with fennel, and that ought to change, I think. I might be tempted to add some julienned sundried tomatoes, too. =:9

Apropos of nothing, have you cooked with samphire? I only recently even learned of its existence, and I've since found it in a couple supermarkets - really rather good! I've sauteed it with pork loin medallions, using a dash of Jack Daniels Honey instead of oil, with some Berbere seasoning to lend a bit of zing. That, on top of a mixed leaf salad - pretty good. ^_^ (Stupidly, I don't think I took any photos of it. Oh well. I'll just have to make it again =:)

Gnocchi I'd probably enjoy making. Pasta, too - I only had genuinely fresh pasta the first time a couple years ago, back in North Beach, at Molinari's, a superb deli. Even by itself, the linguini were delicious! I think I'd probably want to try ravioli first,

[branwyn]

Awesome, good luck! The anise scent of the fresh bulb is quite strong, but when cooked into this, it's very subtle. The tendency of some Italian sausage to have fennel in it is what sorta inspired the combination to begin with.

Samphire, hmm? *Googles* Well, I just heard about it today - thanks! :) I'll keep my eyes out. Your dish is very interesting and creative, sounds fantastic!

I've made my own pasta / other noodles a few times, it's a lot more work (compared to dumping it out of a box and boiling it!) but the results are awesome. It can be a little tricky, but I highly recommend giving it a try. :)

B.

[stevefoxx]

This sounds delicious! Thank you!