wild fennel

Italian cakes made from wild or cultivated fennel greens are a great thing to make with extra fennel fronds and stems. Makes about 12 1/8 cup cakes.

Wild Fennel Green Cakes

oz fennel fronds from wild fennel

eggs

parmesan

salt

fennel seed

lemon

breadcrumbs

heavy cream

black pepper (to taste)

Cooking oil (as needed)

Aioli, preferably homemade, to taste

fennel salad

watercress

Bring a gallon of salted water to a boil and cook the fennel fronds, whole, for 15 minutes at a steady simmer.

Taste a piece of the fennel fronds at this point to gauge the texture, if it’s soft enough for you, remove, or cook a few minutes more, tasting here and there until it’s just right.

When you’re pleased with them (they will get tender) remove to a colander to drain and cool to room temperature (resist the urge to shock them in cold water).

Squeeze the fronds dry, then chop finely and mix with the remaining ingredients. Heat a pan with a film or oil, take a small portion of the fennel mixture, mold it into a small test patty and cook to test the seasoning and set.

If the cakes are hard to flip, add some extra breadcrumbs, if they taste mild, add a pinch of salt. When you’re ready to cook the cakes, take 2 tablespoons at a time and form into patties, then brown well in oil on both sides. Serve the cakes topped with a small dollop of aioli.

For a nice fennel salad, cut a bulb of fennel vertically, then shave thin on a mandoline. Toss the shaved fennel with salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a handful of fresh watercress, along with some herbs if you have them (mint and basil are nice). Double check the seasoning, adjust until it tastes good to you, and serve with a few slices of orange, pared of it&#39;s skin, cut into slices.

Serving as pictured

Dry cured fermented salami made from elk, spices and wild fennel seed that you can age in your fridge at home.

Wild Fennel Seed Venison Chorizo

lbs lean elk

lb pork fat

T black pepper

instacure no 2

1.5 T wild fennel (lightly toasted)

T cayenne

dextrose

milk powder (Optional, see note)

red wine

paprika

bactoferm

Cut the meat and fat into pieces that will go through a meat grinder easily, then chill in the freezer until half-frozen.

Mix the bactoferm with the water and reserve.

Cut the UMAi DRY casings into a foot length, or however long you want your salami to be.

Grind the chilled meat and fat through a ¼ inch die of a meat grinder.

Toast the fennel and pulse a couple times in a spice grinder. Don’t grind the fennel to powder, just pulse it 2-3 times as you want to see some whole seeds in the finished product. Mix the meat with the  salt and spices by hand, then mix in the finishing ingredients: dextrose, milk powder, the bactoferm slurry, and wine.

Pack the mixture into the UMAi DRY casings, tying off each end with zip ties or butcher’s twine. Put the salami on a baking sheet with a rack, then allow to ferment at room temperature for 24 hours, or until you can notice the color of the meat visibly lighten.

For fermenting, putting the salami in a still/turned off oven works fine. If you put the salami in the oven, make sure to put a note on the handle so no one turns it on-that won&#39;t be fun for anyone.

Fermentation

After 24 hours, remove the salami and place in a fridge for 4 weeks, or until dry to your liking. When the salami are finished, I like to vacuum seal and freeze them until I want to use them, which also refreshes the texture.

Finished, dried salami can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks, or frozen for long-term storage.

Drying and finishing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fob4wbx3loE

Wild fennel seed elk chorizo. Simple dry-cured fermented salami made at home in a fridge. You can flavor it with whatever you like, the real magic is in the UMAi DRY casings that make it so you don't need a curing chamber, humidity controls, etc. Link to the product and the full recipe in comments.

Wild Fennel Elk Chorizo

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Wild Fennel Green Cakes

Wild Fennel Seed Venison Chorizo

Top 2 wild fennel recipes from across the web

The most viewed wild fennel recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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Wild Fennel Green Cakes

Wild Fennel Seed Venison Chorizo

The most viewed wild fennel recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine