We all know what fennel is, it’s usually served at the end of a heavy meal at Indian restaurants, for it is believed to relieve any acidity or gassiness that may come after gobbling up rich, spicy and ghee-laden curries. Besides these medicinal properties, fennel or saunf as it’s known in Hindi, is also used in sweet and savoury dishes as an aromatic. It’s known for its slightly sweet, sharp, and licorice-like herbal notes, which can take any dish to another level.
Fennel and Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients:
- 210 g flour
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground fennel seeds
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 60 ml orange juice
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 60 ml yoghurt
- 120 ml olive oil
- 120 ml milk
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 175 C, and mine a baking tin with olive oil.
- Then squeeze about 60 ml worth of orange juice from fresh oranges. Also zest to get about a tablespoon worth of it.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground fennel, orange zest, and salt in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, add sugar, olive oil, almond extract, yoghurt, and milk. Mix until well-combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ones, and then pour the batter into the prepared baking tin.
- Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, then cook and enjoy.
Fennel Panna Cotta
Ingredients:
- 473 ml milk
- 1 tsp ground fennel
- 2 ½ tsp gelatin powder
- 25 ml honey
- Pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Remove about ¼ cup of milk from the total quantity and then add gelatin powder to the rest along with honey and a pinch of salt.
- Bring the milk to a gentle simmer, ensuring that the gelatin powder is well mixed.
- Take it off the heat and add the fennel powder.
- Pour into serving cups or ramekins and let it sit in the fridge until set.
- The fennel panna cotta will pair well with poached apples or poached pears, which you can make by thinly slicing the fruit and lightly simmering it in water along with a sweetener. If you want to amp up the fennel flavour, add some of it to the poaching liquid too.
Pistachio and Fennel Cookies
Ingredients:
- 226 g softened butter
- 120 g flour
- 300 g sugar
- 100 g ground almonds
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp almond extract
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- ½ tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 60 g chopped pistachios
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 175 C. Use a parchment paper to line a baking tray, set aside.
- Beat the butter until it’s creamy, then add sugar and egg to this. Beat this mixture until smooth.
- Next, add lemon zest, almond extract, and fennel seeds.
- Then add flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, and chopped pistachios. Mix well until you get a firm dough.
- Using your hands, shape cookie dough balls and press them onto the baking tray. You can either press a singular pistachio in the middle or sprinkle chopped pistachios on top.
- It’s recommended to chill the cookies in the fridge for half an hour before you bake them in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden.
- Cool on a wire rack.