Caramelised fennel & red onion salad with raisins & pistachios

The venue: an end-of-terrace house in East London
The occasion: an end-of-summer braai at the Cook Sister!'s
The first act: an I-wish-this-would-never-end dish of slowly caramelised fennel and red onion.

When I arrived at the house I thought I had made a big mistake. Oh no, Jeanne was her usual lovely self, the other invitees two friends of her whom I adore, master-of-the-braai Nick preparing the bacon-wrapped venison which I had "ordered"... but somehow, the briefing Jeanne had given me when she asked me to bring a starter failed to mention that Olwen and Cecil would ALSO be bringing salad - one each! Clearly a break-down in communications and I feared that we would  all be leaving with salad hanging out of our ears. Luckily, the company at the table was very forgiving and my "salad" a stunner.

Fennel is always a tricky one to serve - it's a vegetable you either love or hate, just like beetroot and celery, I guess. I was never a big fan as a kid, but then fennel is very much an adult taste, don't you think? Its flavour is often referred to as resembling aniseed or liquorice, both of which I used to hate - but then the comparison doesn't really work for me, as I don't really like liquorice even now and I do adore my fennel. Aniseed, maybe.

Anyway - this version is probably one of the least controversial ones, you can even risk serving it to people who are known as being picky. Anything caramelised tastes just miles better than plainly cooked and with the sweet-and-sour tinge this dish has to it, there's a flavour component for everyone. And if that won't win them over, then the sherry-soaked raisins will surely produce smiles all round... if you have very picky guests, just double the amount!

Caramelised fennel & red onion salad with raisins & pistachios
(serves 6 as a starter)

a handful raisins (ca. 70 g)
200 ml sherry oloroso
800 g fennel
60 ml olive oil
250 g red onion
5 tbsp light brown sugar
1 pinch fleur de sel
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
100 ml vegetable stock
150 ml vermouth vinegar (or aged red wine vinegar)
100 g pistachios
100 g rocket salad
1 handful parsley (chopped)
6 slices bread (I used a French pain de campagne)

(Start the night before, if you can)
In a small pot, bring the sherry to simmering point and pour over the raisins in a bowl. Leave to stand overnight for the raisins to soak up as much of the sherry as they can.
The next morning, wash the fennel, cut it in half and trim it to remove the core. Cut into wedges no more than 1 cm on the back. Drain the raisins, reserving the sherry.
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry for 8 minutes. Meanwhile peel the onions and cut into wedges, 5 mm - 1 cm around the back. Fry for another 3 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, stir through once and leave to caramelise for ca. 2 minutes. The sugar should melt and start to bubble. Add the fleur de sel and the rosemary.
Pour the sherry into the pan to deglaze. When the sherry has evaporated, add the vegetable stock and reduce for about 10 minutes until there's a thick juice just lining the bottom of the pan.
Add the raisins and parsley, then leave to infuse for as long as possible (you may well leave this overnight, although it will taste great straight away as well).
Just before serving, re-season to taste with olive oil and vinegar, add the pistachios, then serve on a bed of rocket leaves with or on toasted rustic bread.

Comments

[african vanielje]

Johanna, I've just had a huge meal and you make me hungry. Have mercy. I don't even like fennel and I want to try this. Perversely, I love liquorice, star anise, pernod, and I have always felt I would fit right in on the left bank, swigging absinthe from tiny shot glasses. Except I don't speak French.

[Audrey]

I´ve never tried fennel because I was (still am) afraid that I may not like it - but I´d still be curious enough to try the recipe that you posted :)

[Sophie]

This sounds just right for the end of summer/early autumn. You'd have to have really picky guests not to love caramelised onions and fennel (but I'm biased as I'm still basking in the fond memories of having had caramelised onions, sausages and mash for dinner last night!)

[Scott at Realepicurean]

That looks FRESH...I'm getting hungry and you're making my mouth water!

[Hillary]

Oooh ooh ooh, never would have thought of that combination! Looks soo good and I love how it's all atop a piece of bread!

[Jeanne]

Au contraire, m'dear: I asked you to bring a STARTER & asked Olwen & Cecil to bring SALADS ;-) But all's well that ends well - it was a fab dish & it was so lovely to have you all over for a leisurely meal :)

[arfi]

Sounds lovely!

[Dayna]

I just finished serving up a Caramelised Red Onion and Fennel Tart Tatin over the weekend, so my eyes were immediately drawn to this. What a wonderful combination these two make and for you to put them in a salad, delicious!