For lunch I decided to try frying up some squash and fennel. It turned out quite well--the flavors went great together, and it tasted amazing with some regular ol' seasoned salt on it.
The squash I used was a small delicata. I used a knife to slice off all of the skin and split it down the middle. Then I scooped out the seeds and sliced it about half an inch thick. Next I took my fennel bulb and cut off the stalks (hold on to these, don't throw them out!). You can cut the bulb down the middle and kind of slice around the tough core. I cut the fennel about the same size as the squash. Then I simply fried it on my electric griddle (you could use a nonstick pan, of course) in some olive oil until it was nicely browned and tender. Garnish with one of the dill-like sprigs from the fennel if you're feeling fancy!
For dinner I used the stalks from the fennel in making a nice autumn stew full of root vegetables and mushrooms.
I'm usually lazy and just use canned vegetable stock for my soups, but we were out and nobody felt like going to the store--so, I decided to make my own. There's a lot of variations out there on veggie stock, but I say just go with your gut. Toss in whatever you like! But if you're looking for inspiration, here's the "recipe" for the version I made:
Take a large pot, fill with about a gallon of water and threw in the fennel stalks (that you may have if you also made that squash dish), a few ribs of celery, a couple carrots, a small onion, a few mushrooms, a bay leaf, and about 6 cloves of garlic. You don't have to peel or cut up any of this since it will be strained, but make sure you wash everything, and you may want to crush the garlic a bit to make sure all of its garlicky goodness comes out. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower it to a simmer, tossing in some thyme, rosemary, sage, fresh dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of red wine vinegar* for a bit of tang. Let it simmer for about an hour and a half. Set a colandar in a large bowl and strain the stock into it. You can keep the mushy veggies for your compost if you're lucky enough to have a yard or a garden. Pour the stock back into the pot and put the pot back on the burner.
Now that you've got the stock, you can add all the fun stuff. (Oh, and turn the burner up to about medium heat now.) For my stew I added about a pound of fingerling potatos, 4 small parsnips, 3 teeny tiny kohlrabi, 4 carrots, a half pound of crimini mushrooms, and half of a large yellow onion, all very coarsely chopped. You'll probably need to add a lot more salt and a bit more of all of the spices listed above. Just keep tasting until it's right! If you decide to add more fresh dill, remember that it can get a bit spicey, so don't go too overboard (like I did). Keep the pot going at medium heat and let everything cook until it's tender.
This soup goes beautifully with some crusty bread and a rich sheep's milk cheese like Bad Axe from Hidden Springs Creamery.
So... Huzzah! A lovely, warm, nutritious, locally grown stew for these chilly new autumn days!
*Vinegar, mushrooms and dill always make a soup better in my humble (Czech) opinion.
