COOKBOOK: Woman’s Day Recipe, Aug 22 2005
Fennel is a vegetable which tastes alot like liquorice. I’m not a fan of liquorice so in order for me to love it, I need to fry it. When you fry fennel it sweetens the flavour.
Fennel plant are highly nutritious and may offer an abundance of impressive health benefits. Adding them to your diet may improve heart health, reduce inflammation, suppress appetite, and even provide anticancer effects. Fennel contains vitamin C, potassium & calcium. The also have an agent which reduces cramping in the stomach.
I loved it in these empanadas and I know you will too
Enjoy
RECIPE
Makes 4
2 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 more tblsp
1 large white onion, peeled and sliced
2 medium fennel bulbs, remove end & sliced
1 tablespoon lemon rind, grated
2 tablespoon baby capers
400g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size
Salt & pepper
2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
Pre heat 200C
Line a flat baking tray with baking paper.
Heat oil in a frying pan, fry the onion until soft, then add the sliced fennel. Add lemon rind & capers and set mixture aside.
Add extra oil in the same frying pan and fry the chicken for approx 4mins, turning frequently.
In a deep bowl combine chicken and fennel mixture and mix well. Add seasoning, salt & pepper.
Take one of the thawed sheets of pastry and cut into 4 squares. Brush with lightly beaten egg. Divide the mixture into 4. Place each in the centre of the pastry square. Cut the 2nd sheet of puff pastry into 4 squares. Brush pastry sheet with egg and place it carefully over the chicken mixture
Press each square carefully over the mixture. With a fork press down to seal each of the sides. Cut off any excess pastry.
Place each pie onto the tray, brush again with some egg and bake for approximately 25mins or until golden and puffy.
