Fennel Borlotti, Loaded with Fresh Herbs
This will convert any fennel sceptic, I’m sure of it. A light but filling, beautiful summer broth that comes together quickly using few good quality ingredients.
If you can get big organic lemons with the leaves still attached, you can keep the leaves and add them in like a bay leaf.
What brings this together is the generous use of olive oil; beans need fat and salt to make them sing. Adding at the start but on a low heat means the fennel is cooked in a sort of confit steam, which makes it melt in the mouth. An abundance of fresh soft herbs added at the end is also key - easy to find in summer especially; feel free to mix this up, no rules here! I finish with a drizzle of olive oil as well, which for me, as a standalone meal, is just perfect.
Serves 2 to 4 as a main or side
Ingredients
125ml extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Peel and juice of ½ a large unwaxed lemon
A few lemon leaves (optional, if you have them)
1 large fennel bulb, rinsed and cut into 1cm wedges
400g cooked borlotti beans *
400g bean stock, plus a little more if needed
A couple of handfuls of stale bread, torn into rough pieces
A little extra olive oil, for the croutons
A big handful of picked mixed soft herbs (parsley, dill, fennel tops, basil)
Salt, to taste **
Method
Cut the fennel into 1cm wedges, wash, and set aside, leaving the fennel with the residual water from washing. If your fennel still has fronds, save these for finishing.
In a wide pan with a lid, warm the olive oil over your lowest heat. Add the garlic, lemon leaves and lemon peel, and let it gently sizzle for 30 seconds to a minute to infuse the oil rather than colour it. Add the fennel and a good pinch of salt, place the lid on, and steam/confit for about 15 minutes, stirring midway; the fennel should soften and become glossy.
Stir in the drained borlotti beans and the stock (or water) and check for seasoning, adding salt if needed. Bring to a gentle simmer, lid on, and let everything cook together until the fennel is meltingly tender and the beans have soaked up the flavour. Add a splash more stock if it looks dry; you want it thick but a little loose.
While the beans cook, warm a little olive oil in a separate wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the torn bread and toast, tossing now and then, until golden and crisp all over. This is a great hack if you don’t want to turn on the oven just for croutons.
Take the fennel and beans off the heat, stir through the lemon juice, and check the salt. Spoon into bowls, drizzle with extra olive oil, and pile the herb and croutons on top.
*I love to cook my beans from dry, but you can get some excellent jarred and tinned. Cooking from dry: use half the amount (around 200g dry). Soak overnight, drain and rinse, then cook in plenty of water with salt, and a few bay leaves if you like, until tender, about 40 minutes to an hour. - Cook extra, they’re always useful to have in the fridge.
** Taste as you go - as some pre-packed beans are already salted and some aren’t, so it’s worth a taste before you add more
Follow us on Insta: @palmgreens
