Braised Fennel with Saffron

 I have returned to the excellent book Nistisima by Georgina Hayden to cook this fabulous dish with fennel.  It is so delicious and goes well with so many other dishes or just with a few hunks of good bread and a fresh salad.  Georgina Hayden's book is a constant inspiration; by taking vegetable dishes from around the Mediterranean that just happen to be vegan and presenting them so beautifully I am so encouraged to dip in and just try!

Ingredients

Pinch of saffron threads

2 fennel bulbs trimmed and quartered

Olive oil

Good handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 tbsp harissa paste

Instructions

1. Place the saffron threads in 350 ml of boiled water and set aside.

2. Pick the fennel fronds from the bulbs and set aside for decoration afterwards.

3. Lay the wedges of the quartered fennel in a frying pan and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Cook on a medium heat for around 10-15 minutes until lightly brown all over.

4. Pour the saffron water into the pan and turn up the heat to bring to a boil; cover the pan and reduce the heat to low to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

5. When the fennel is cooked through, remove the lid and increase heat to evaporate most of the liquid. Turn the heat off and leave the fennel to cool a little.

6. Spoon the harissa onto a serving plate and lay the fennel wedges on top; spoon over some of the pan juices and top with the fennel fronds and parsley.