Use this in pork chops or chicken, or as a side dish.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch of spinach, trimmed of big stems, washed, and chopped into bite-sized bits (water clinging to the leaves is desirable, so don’t go to any effort to dry the spinach) 1 tablespoon fennel fronds, chopped finely 1 large fennel bulb, trimmed of stalks and core, cut into ¼ inch dice 2 leeks, white part only, cut into ¼ inch dice ½ cup white wine 4 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced Salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, cracked with the flat of a knife 1 heaping cup home made fresh bread crumbs 1/3rd cup pine nuts Olive oil as needed, Fennel Confit oil preferred (see recipe)
METHOD:
Heat a medium sauté pan over medium heat. When hot, coat the bottom of the pan with 1/8th inch oil. When oil is hot, add the leeks and toss to coat. Cook gently for 1-2 minutes, and then add the wine.
While the leeks cook, blanch the diced fennel in well salted boiling water for 60 seconds, or just until it loses its raw edge. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
When the leeks are tender, add half the garlic and cook until fragrant and soft. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Add the fennel to the pan, adding oil if it is dry. Toss to coat the fennel and turn up the heat to medium-high. Season with salt and pepper and cook the fennel to color the edges a little and get it tender all the way through. Transfer to the bowl with the leeks.
Film the pan with oil again, and add the fennel seeds and the rest of the garlic. Cook until fragrant, stirring all the while to prevent burning. Add the bread crumbs, stirring to coat with the oil and mix in the fennel seeds and garlic. Add in the thyme and season well with salt and pepper and the pine nuts. Cook, stirring all the while until the crumbs are a nice golden color and crispy, which should take around 2-3 minutes. Mix in the chopped fennel fronds and stir in. Transfer to the bowl with everything else.
Oil then pan lightly if needed and add the spinach. Cook just until the spinach wilts, then transfer to the rest of the ingredients. Toss everything to combine evenly, and taste for seasoning. Adjust if needed.
Stuffing is ready to use.
Chef’s Notes:
Use this stuffing in roast chicken or in pork chops or butterflied pork tenderloin. It can also be used as a side dish as well. As a side, it is nice to top the dish with the bread crumbs. In that case, cook the spinach before the bread crumbs with half the fennel fronds, thyme and the remaining garlic, then mix in with the ingredients in the bowl. Cook the bread crumbs a little less than you would for stuffing. Add the contents of the bowl to a lightly oiled oven-proof dish, then top with the bread crumbs and heat in a pre-heated 400°F oven until the crumbs are golden, around 5 minutes.
Yield: Enough for 1 chicken, 4 pork chops, or tenderloin.
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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