Potato, Fennel, Olive and Lemon Tart

People talk a lot about comfort food, i.e. what makes them happy and contented, well for me this tart is one of those dishes. When I made it recently M and I almost ate the whole tart in one sitting, it was so tasty, tasty, tasty! If you do not like the flavour of  fennel it would still work with finely sliced leeks or onion. (I use my magic Swiss mandolin for slicing all the vegetables). But I think these flavours work well together and apart from the fresh fennel which can be pricey at the beginning or end of the season, it is an inexpensive lunch dish or a lovely starter for dinner (made into smaller square tarts) or carefully sliced into small squares for pre-dinner drinks. I love that I can use some of my preserved lemons too. This dish is just perfect for vegetarians. 
Potato, fennel, feta, olive and lemon tart - Chef: Lauraine Jacobs as heard on Nine to Noon Monday, 10 November 2008

Ingredients  
500g puff pastry
3 large Agria potatoes
1 egg, beaten
3 fennel bulbs, sliced paper thin
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
150 g crumbly feta cheese
½ cup olives, preferably stones removed
1 preserved lemon, flesh removed and rind cut into small dice
Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
Fresh Italian parsley, stalks removed

Method

Roll out the pastry to fit a 30cm x 40cm oven tray. Allow the pastry to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

Meanwhile peel the potatoes, cut into 1.5 cm slices and simmer in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain well and cool.

Beat the egg and brush over the surface of the pastry. Spread the potato slices over the egg, and if there’s any extra egg, brush the potatoes with this.

Layer the fennel on top of the potatoes and scatter the seeds over. Crumble the cheese over the fennel next, and then dot the top with chopped olives and diced preserved lemon. Season with pepper and salt.

Place in the hot oven and turn the heat up an extra 10°C so the pastry really starts to cook. When the pastry is puffed and golden brown on the edges and underside (should take about 20 minutes, but this will depend on your oven) remove the tart from the oven. Scatter over the parsley leaves and cut into generous wedges to serve.

Serves 6 as a meal with salad

Beetroot, fennel and celeriac salad

It is now the time for all three of these vegetables to have their day in the sunshine. I love them all and this recipe caught my eye for its simplicity and unusualness (is that a word?) It is a very easy salad to make, you just need to set time aside to cook everything separately and assemble later. Perfect as a side dish with a beef or chicken main or as a starter on its own. I found this recipe in the vegetable section of the Dominion Post and have slightly altered it to suit my taste. I love the flavours (they work well together) and the crunch of the fennel! To save time (and power) I roast the beetroot when I have other things to bake.

celeriac is ugly looking but tastes great!

Beetroot, fennel and celeriac salad
4 medium sized beetroot
1 large fennel bulb
1 large celeriac bulb
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1tbsp red wine vinegar
Rocket leaves
Thoroughly wash beetroot and trim off stalk and root bits. Roast in tin foil with a little oil and S and P for about 1.5 hours - test with a skewer without opening the foil - when cool peel off beetroot skin and cut into wedges.
Trim off fluffy ends and the hard root part of  the fennel, slice thinly and fry in a little olive oil for a one minute to turn golden brown. Cool
Peel the hard skin off the celeriac, cut into large chip type pieces, fry in a little oil for a 1 minute each side until browned, put aside to cool.
Assemble all ingredients together just before you serve (at room temperature), that way the beetroot does not colour everything pink! Gently toss oil and vinegar into the salad, add salt and pepper to taste and serve on a bed of rocket or green salad. Big fabulous flavours, really delicious!
Serves about 4-6 people.

Beetroot, fennel and celeriac salad

It is now the time for all three of these vegetables to have their day in the sunshine. I love them all and this recipe caught my eye for its simplicity and unusualness (is that a word?) It is a very easy salad to make, you just need to set time aside to cook everything separately and assemble later. Perfect as a side dish with a beef or chicken main or as a starter on its own. I found this recipe in the vegetable section of the Dominion Post and have slightly altered it to suit my taste. I love the flavours (they work well together) and the crunch of the fennel! To save time (and power) I roast the beetroot when I have other things to bake.

celeriac is ugly looking but tastes great!

Beetroot, fennel and celeriac salad
4 medium sized beetroot
1 large fennel bulb
1 large celeriac bulb
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1tbsp red wine vinegar
Rocket leaves
Thoroughly wash beetroot and trim off stalk and root bits. Roast in tin foil with a little oil and S and P for about 1.5 hours - test with a skewer without opening the foil - when cool peel off beetroot skin and cut into wedges.
Trim off fluffy ends and the hard root part of  the fennel, slice thinly and fry in a little olive oil for a one minute to turn golden brown. Cool
Peel the hard skin off the celeriac, cut into large chip type pieces, fry in a little oil for a 1 minute each side until browned, put aside to cool.
Assemble all ingredients together just before you serve (at room temperature), that way the beetroot does not colour everything pink! Gently toss oil and vinegar into the salad, add salt and pepper to taste and serve on a bed of rocket or green salad. Big fabulous flavours, really delicious!
Serves about 4-6 people.

Fabulous Fennel

Fennel is now nice and fresh in the shops. It seems strange to me that we can eat it, when I was a child we were warned it was poisonous and not to touch it! It grew like a weed in places where we played or in the garden where it was yanked out by Dad and thrown away! It was certainly never ever used in cooking!!! The type we now buy in shops is obviously a different variety..... But it really is a great vegetable with a unique flavour. In recent times I have developed a bit of a taste for fresh fennel. Last night I tried a chicken and fennel dish, really, really delicious and lovely with a spinach and tumeric side dish. But my most favourite dish made with fennel is Butter Baked Fish with Fennel and Peas. It 'ticks all my boxes' as it is so simple - posh to look at and the meal is cooked in one dish. It is best cooked in a metal dish - about the length of your fish fillets. If you have to use a glass or ceramic one, heat the dish first. The original recipe comes from Cuisine by Fiona Smith published in 2010. I have adjusted it a bit to suit our tastes. Although not exactly the best dish when you are watching your weight, console yourself there are few calories in the fish and the fennel!
(I was gifted a mandoline by a dear friend a few years ago. I thought at the time it would never get used but I was wrong, it is the most marvellous kitchen utensil and it gets used lots!)
Butter Baked Fish with Fennel and Peas
2 medium bulbs fennel (about 200g each)
2 cups of peas (frozen are fine just quickly defrost in the microwave)
4 thick fish fillets (about 150g of hapuka, blue cod or monkfish)
2 tbsp capers
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon thinly sliced
100g butter from a firm chilled block ( do not use margarine - the flavour is not the same)
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius
Slice the fennel finely (the mandoline is perfect for this job). Spread over the base of the dish. Top with peas then the fish fillets. (I also add finely sliced potatoes with the fennel and cook both in the dish for about 5 minutes first, then add the other ingredients as stated). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle capers over the fish. Arrange lemon slices over the top. Cut thin slices of butter and cover the entire surface of the fish with plenty as it flavours the fish and vegetables.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
Serves 4

Fabulous Fennel

Fennel is now nice and fresh in the shops. It seems strange to me that we can eat it, when I was a child we were warned it was poisonous and not to touch it! It grew like a weed in places where we played or in the garden where it was yanked out by Dad and thrown away! It was certainly never ever used in cooking!!! The type we now buy in shops is obviously a different variety..... But it really is a great vegetable with a unique flavour. In recent times I have developed a bit of a taste for fresh fennel. Last night I tried a chicken and fennel dish, really, really delicious and lovely with a spinach and tumeric side dish. But my most favourite dish made with fennel is Butter Baked Fish with Fennel and Peas. It 'ticks all my boxes' as it is so simple - posh to look at and the meal is cooked in one dish. It is best cooked in a metal dish - about the length of your fish fillets. If you have to use a glass or ceramic one, heat the dish first. The original recipe comes from Cuisine by Fiona Smith published in 2010. I have adjusted it a bit to suit our tastes. Although not exactly the best dish when you are watching your weight, console yourself there are few calories in the fish and the fennel!
(I was gifted a mandoline by a dear friend a few years ago. I thought at the time it would never get used but I was wrong, it is the most marvellous kitchen utensil and it gets used lots!)
Butter Baked Fish with Fennel and Peas
2 medium bulbs fennel (about 200g each)
2 cups of peas (frozen are fine just quickly defrost in the microwave)
4 thick fish fillets (about 150g of hapuka, blue cod or monkfish)
2 tbsp capers
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon thinly sliced
100g butter from a firm chilled block ( do not use margarine - the flavour is not the same)
Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius
Slice the fennel finely (the mandoline is perfect for this job). Spread over the base of the dish. Top with peas then the fish fillets. (I also add finely sliced potatoes with the fennel and cook both in the dish for about 5 minutes first, then add the other ingredients as stated). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle capers over the fish. Arrange lemon slices over the top. Cut thin slices of butter and cover the entire surface of the fish with plenty as it flavours the fish and vegetables.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.
Serves 4