Miso braised fennel

We love eating fennel raw in a salad. When it is sliced finely with a mandoline, the flavor becomes milder, and the crunchiness makes it a spectacular salad ingredient. Braising fennel bulbs transforms them into sweet tenderness that is hard to pass by. Here is a simple way to try this goodness...

Ingredients:

• fennel bulbs, cut into 2 inch pieces, e.g. in quarters
• 1TBS or so miso paste
• chicken stock
• oil for high-heat cooking, e.g. avocado or corn

Procedure:

Heat oil in a pan. Brown fennel pieces. Add chicken stock half way up the fennel pieces. Add miso paste - 1 TBS is a good start. Cover, simmer slowly for about 30 minutes. Turn the fennel every 10 minutes or so. Add more chicken stock if too much liquid evaporates. The fennel is cooked when one can pierce is easily with a fork.

The cooking liquid should turn into a fairly thick sauce by the time fennel is cooked. If it is too runny, take the cooked fennel out and boil some of the liquid off.

Serve with the sauce in which the fennel was cooked.