Here is a very simple and tasty way of cooking fennel.
In French this cooking technique is called "court-mouillement" which I found translated as "shallow poaching" but, when cooking vegetables, I prefer calling it "quick braising". The idea is to quickly braise your vegetable in order to keep all the nutrients and the flavours inside.
This is a fabulous technique that you can apply to almost any vegetables but is particularly delicious with carrots, celery, turnips, and of course fennel.
Ingredients:
2 bulbs of fennel
1 glass of stock (chicken or vegetable)
olive oil
salt
Wash and trim off the bulbs of fennel removing the root, peeling off the rough outer layer if tough, and cutting off the green top. Cut, lengthways, into quarters.
Bring the stock to the boil.
In a shallow heavy-based pan, over medium heat, warm up a drizzle of olive oil. Add the fennel and coat it all with the warm oil. Leave it cook until it start to colour a bit and add a pinch of salt (unless your stock is already quite salty in which case, skip it).
Add a ladle of warm stock, leave to bubble and be absorbed by the fennel. A bit like when doing a risotto, add a bit more of stock when it gets soaked up until the fennel is tender.
This fennel dish will be delicious with any white fish or with a fried egg.