How are you eating local? This time a year, for me, a weekend Farmers’ Market trip almost always includes the purchase of several bulbs of fresh fennel. The slightly sweet, anise-y notes add a ton of flavor to any dish, sauce soup or salad. And, once you put a bulb of fennel on the grill… it’s a game changer!
Fennel is the perfect all purpose vegetable. Think of it as you would celery, but with more of a kick. Terrific hot or cold, combined with a host of summer produce; used as a key ingredient in a mirepoix; or enjoyed raw and a cool and crunchy summer snack.
Almost all of the recipes in this post call for fresh ground black pepper. I always make my own and I call it “Heidi’s Hot Pepper Blend” This mix of peppercorns, freshly ground, always offers a more complex and interesting flavor rather than something you buy already ground. For the best selection of whole spices, visit my friends at Spicewalla in Asheville NC. Shop locally with them at the Spicewalla store or find their spices at any location of Chai Pani or Botiwalla by Chai Pani restaurants. Or, you can shop online for home delivery here. Tell Them Heidi Sent You
How to Make my infamous
Heidi Billotto
“Heidi’s Hot Pepper Blend”
Start with equal amounts of black, pink and white peppercorns. Add coriander seeds for a slightly citrusy edge. The grind them all up in a coffee grinder. Note: this recipe won’t work in a table top grinder as the pink peppercorns are too soft. Stick with the coffee grinder for best results.
When you are done grinding, transfer the pepper mix to a small tin or jar. For easy grinder clean up, unplug the grind and wipe it out with a paper towel.
Then, plug it back in and fill it a tablespoon or so of fresh coffee beans. Grind these beans to a fine grind, and then, toss toss them in the compost bin or in your garden.
Your coffee grinder will be free of any peppery residue and you are all set for the perfect cup of coffee tomorrow morning.
Start any Sauce with a Summery Mirepoix That Includes fresh Fennel
A mirepoix is the flavor packed saute of fresh veggies and sometimes fresh or dried herbs you might use to start a sauce or soup. Typically a mix of celery, carrots, onions and sometime bell peppers, its an easy way to get flavors going at the start of almost every savory recipe.
In the spring and summer, I use fresh local fennel in place of or sometimes in addition to the celery to add a whole new level of flavor. Here’s in my quick and easy Marinara Sauce recipe to show you how fennel might fit into your regular culinary routine.
Heidi’s Summertime Marinara Sauce
1 large local carrot, minced
A stalk local celery, minced ( or you can use several leaves of minced lovage)
1 bulb fresh local fennel, minced
½ local sweet onion, minced ( You can add more to taste, if you would like)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. dried oregano ( I always find that dried oregano, has a more intense flavor than fresh. So its my go-to for seasoning tomato sauces.)
8-10 whole fresh local ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped, seeds and juiced included
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Start by heating a large sauce pan. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil and let it warm ( for just a minute or so) until it is aromatic. Add the minced and chopped veggies along with the dried oregano leaves. Sauté fennel, carrots, celery, and onion until very tender and slightly caramelized (aka lightly browned). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time until the tomatoes cook down to release all of their juices and create a sauce.
ProTip – for added flavor add a sliced of the rind from a wedge of real Italian aged Parmesan cheese – this won’t melt all the way, but as the tomatoes cook down, the Parm adds a wonderful extra layer of flavor. Remove the rind, before serving or before your puree the sauce.
Heidi
Once the tomatoes have cooked down, Reduce heat, simmer 15-20 minutes, add the minced basil just before serving.
I love this sauce in all its chunky splendor, but if you’d rather have a smoother sauce where you don’t see all the different veggies, simply use an immersion blender at the very end of your cooking.
How to Cook Fennel on the Grill
Fennel is super simple to cook on the grill, perhaps as a side to any grilled steak, chicken or seafood. Begin by trimming the dill weed-like fronds off the top of each bulb. Then cut larger bulbs in half, leave more slender bulbs of fennel whole. While many recipes I found online suggested, brushing the bulbs with oil before grilling, I find this step unnecessary.
Instead use a great olive oil ( I love the Kores Estate Ultra Premium Extra Virgin olive oil from Olive Crate) and perhaps a squeeze of orange or lemon juice and some salt and pepper to dress the fennel once it comes off the grill. To cook: place the fennel bulbs, on a grill or grill grid over medium heat and cook with the grill cover down for about 10-15 minutes, depending on size, turning them once halfway during the cooking time.
Heidi’s Tuna Burgers with Fennel Slaw
1 lb. fresh sushi-grade tuna fillet – skip the grocery store and go straight to your local fish monger for the best product here
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs. finely chopped red onion or scallion
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. minced fresh local baby ginger
Sea salt and Heidi’s Hot Pepper Blend
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil + 1 Tbsp. Olive Crate Kores Estate EVOO for frying
Cut the tuna into 1-inch chunks and pulse in a food processor until just chopped, about 4 quick pulses – so that it looks like coarse ground beef. Gently stir in the cilantro, onion, mayonnaise, sesame oil, ginger, salt & pepper. Shape the tuna into 4 burgers.
This may be done up to 3-4 hours ahead of time.
Heat the sesame and olive oils in a large skillet or griddle. Cook the tuna 1-2 minutes on each side – finished burgers will be nicely browned on both sides but still have a pink center
Serve on a bun or on a bed of letter with sliced ripe tomato and Heidi’s Fennel Slaw ( recipe follows).
Heidi’s Fennel Slaw
2-3 large bulbs local fennel, raw or grilled
2 organic or local carrots, cut into Julienne shreds
¼ cup minced parsley
2-3 Tbsp. local ginger
For the dressing:
3 Tbsp. minced onion
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. strawberry balsamic vinegar ( or any other berry infused balsamic)
3 Tbsp. finely minced local ginger
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. Mushroom-flavored soy sauce (My favorite here is Best Boy Brand available at any Asian grocery store)
1/2 clove minced garlic (optional)
Sea salt and Heidi’s Hot pepper blend to taste
Thinly slice the trimmed bulbs of fennel and combine in a bowl with the julienne carrot and minced parsley.
Make the dressing by combining the onion, sesame oil, strawberry balsamic vinegar, minced ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and process until combined.
Toss with the shredded vegetables and serve on top of the tuna burgers ( or use as a base for a great summer salad studded with halved cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumber.)
Fennel Baked in a Parmesan Cream
4 large bulbs of fennel, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
2 cups heavy cream
1½ cups grated Parmesan
Sea salt and Heidi’s Hot Pepper Blend
Heat oven to 425°F. Place the fennel bulb halves side by side, cut side up in a single layer in a oven-to-table baking dish.
In a bowl, toss together leeks, heavy cream, and 1 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer and arrange in baking dish, cut sides up. Cover with foil and bake for 60 minutes.
Remove foil, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Finish baking until leeks are tender and browned, about 20 minutes.
Heidi Billotto is the Executive Producer of the NCRLA Chef Showdown, a widely popular annual event benefiting the NCRLA and directly giving back to North Carolina’s hospitality industry. Heidi Billotto is a culinary storyteller, educator, and on-air expert who brings local food to life wherever she goes. She connects small family farmers, independent producers, and regional makers to the people, plates, and media outlets that showcase their work, then shows her readers and followers how to bring those ingredients home to their own tables. Known for her deep relationships, genuine curiosity, joyful style, and sincere passion for all she does, Heidi elevates local food culture on the regular through cooking, teaching, travel, and media.
And whenever you see these five little words “Tell Them Heidi Sent You” (with or without the hashtag), know that they are my personal seal of approval. It means I have been there, I believe in the folks behind it, and I am sending you their way with my whole heart. So go on…
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Excellent work, Heidi.