Beetroot, fennel, turnip and feta salad

• 1 packet feta cheese
• 3-4 small raw (unpickled) beetroot
• 1 fennel bulb
• 1 small turnip
• 1 bulb garlic
• assorted salad leaves
• cucumber and spring onion if desired

Peel the garlic bulbs and leave whole. Chop up beetroot into small wedges (about 8 from each root), and chop turnip up into same size wedges, cut fennel longway down centre and then peel each leaf off bit by bit until you get to the heart. Put all in a foil tray and drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar. Put in an oven about 180C for 1hr until soft or cook on a hot BBQ.

Put assorted leaves into a bowl and pour hot roasted veg and all juices over. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve.

Chargrilled Garden Vegetables

• 1 large fennel bulb
• 1 large aubergine
• 1 red pepper
• 3 green courgettes
• 2 yellow globe courgettes
• 6 baby leeks

For the dressing

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Extras if want to make it more salady

• 1/2lb fresh mozzarella
• 1/2 cup pitted black olives
• 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh basil

Mix the dressing ingredients together put in large closeable bag (eg. zip lock)

Prepare the veg as follows and add to the dressing bag. Cut fennel bulb in half long ways and add both halves. Slice aubergine into thick long slices about 2cm thick. Cut sides away from pepper so have 4 large flat pieces. Cut courgettes in half, then slice each half longways to get long slices about 0.5-1cm thick. Slice the globe courgettes into circles the same. Just add the leeks at the end.

Ensure all veg get coated in dressing, then can leave in fridge till ready to grill later.

When grilling the veg, keep the remaining dressing from the bag as you will use it later.

Start with the fennel first and place cut side down on the grill, over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible for 5-7 mins. Turn the fennel over and grill for another 3 mins, then move over indirect heat, with lid closed as much as possible, until crisp and tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 12 to 15 mins. Remove from grill and leave to cool.

Place other veg on grill, and cook until chargrilled on each side but not overdone.

Cut away the hard triangular core of the fennel and then cut the remaining into 1/2 inch pieces. Cut the other veg into similar sizes and place all in a large bowl. Pour dressing over and toss all pieces in dressing. Either serve like this or add the salad ingredients as well.

Adapted from Weber's Charcoal Grilling - the art of cooking with live fire by Jamie Purviance http://www.amazon.co.uk/Webers-Charcoal-Grilling-Cooking-Live/dp/0376020474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248604136&sr=8-1

Sea Bass/Sea Bream Parcels with Fennel and Wine

Things to do with Fennel - Part Two

Per person:

• A filleted Sea Bass or Sea Bream
• Half a fennel bulb
• Fennel leaves
• Juice of half a lemon
• 175ml white wine
• garlic

Pull a long piece of tin foil off and lay it over a shallow dish (enough to give it shape to stop the liquid coming out, and so the dish is under the tinfoil in the middle). Fold a piece of tin foil into four so you get a rectangle 20cm x 15 cm and lay this in the centre again molding to the dish.

Finely slice the fennel and lay it out on top of the tinfoil rectangle. Sprinkle on some chopped garlic. Lay on one of the fish fillets, skin side down. Then lay a couple of fennel leaves across the fillet. Spinkle a tiny bit of lemon and wine across the fillet and lay the next fillet on top, skin side up. Lay a few fennel leaves on top of the fish and sprinkle with the remaining lemon and wine.

Take the two ends of the large piece of foil and join together above the fish and roll down. Then fold the two short ends in to make a sealed parcel. Place on a baking tray and cook in over for 15min at 170C. Serve with salad and potatoes or vegetables.

Greek Lamb and Tomato Casserole with Fennel served with Mediterranean Vegetables

Things to do with Fennel Part One......

From the TimesOnline, with my additions in italics

Serves: 4

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 45 min

• 4 large meaty lamb shoulder chops or steaks
• 2tbsp flour
• 3tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp ouzo, pernod, ricard or pastis
• 2 medium onions
• 2 large fennel bulbs
• 1tbsp fresh (I used normal and hot & spicy) and 1tbsp dried oregano or marjoram leaves
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 jar ASDA stir in sauce tomato and olives
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• For the vegetables - shallots, courgettes, sweet potato, new potato, peppers, garlic cloves, parsnips, olive oil, balasmic vinegar and honey with lemon

Spread chops/steaks out on plate, season with salt and pepper and dust both side with flour. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a Le Creuset-type cast iron casserole dish and fry chops/steals briefly over a medium heat, turning after a couple of minutes. Turn up the heat, pour over alcohol and let it bubble up and evaporate. Transfer the chops and their syrupy juices to a plate.

Meanwhile, keeping separate piles, peel, halve and finely slice the onions. Trim the fennel, halve through the root and slice across the bulb. Add the remaining oil to the dish, reduce the heat to medium low and add the onions. Cook, stirring a couple of times, for about 10mins until beginning to soften but not colour, then add the fennel. Season with salt and pepper, cover the dish with a lid and leave to sweat, stirring once or twice, for a further 10 mins. Heat the oven to 350F/180C/gas mark 4.

Bury the chops in the onions and fennel, squeeze over the lemon juice and shower with the oregano. Pour the tomatoes and the stir in sauce over the top, season again and replace the lid. Cook in the oven for 30mins or until the lamb is tender. Serve and enjoy!