Like Caponata, fennel and garlic confit is a regular on my recipe rotation.  It’s flexible with what I have in the kitchen (garlic can be replaced or supplemented with shallots or onions) and can be made more or less healthy or vegan by modifying the butter and oil quantities.   And once I’ve got some in the fridge, with some toasted pita it’s the perfect satisfying snack or part of dinner.

Since I have been making it, I have modified it slightly from the original recipe from The Kitchn.  (If you look at the original recipe, the fennel fronds burnt and the thin lemon slices resulted in a bitter confit so I dropped them.)

Recipe and pictures after the jump…

Fennel and Garlic Confit (slightly modified from The Kitchn)
about 4 cups

1 large bulb of fennel, with stalks only
6 large cloves of garlic (and/or some quantity of onions and/or shallots)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash the fennel well. Chop the fennel stalks into 3-4 inch pieces.  Sliver the garlic.

Melt the olive oil and butter in a heavy, flat-bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Add the fennel and garlic (and onions and shallots if using). Shake a little black pepper over top and stir in the salt and red pepper flakes. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes, or until soft and tender.

Let cool, then blend in a food processor until chunky. Store in the fridge – this will keep for at least a week – probably up to two.

Pictures

After 20 minutes or so:

Cooling for the blender:

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