Pea and Fennel Crostini

Thinking about this combo now I'm sure it has already been done.....however, I am always a little slow with these things!

I was getting dinner together, the usual scenario, and I was was thinking about what vegetables I was going to serve with my sausages. In the fridge there was: half a carrot, a few cobs of corn and a bag of peas in the freezer.........that was it! So I had a look at what was ready in our vegie patch (sorry for not updating pics of our vegie patch. It is in full swing as usual but I am just so busy keeping up with everything else - so apologies to everyone) Anyway, the fennel was looking gorgeous..........what to do, what to do!


Ingredients

360 - 380g fennel (not including fronds) fronds removed and fennel chopped into thin wedges

200g frozen peas

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Rustic baguette

How to make your pea and fennel crostini

Pop your oven on to 180C. Grab a heat proof dish and throw in the fennel with some extra virgin olive oil. Pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes. Make sure the fennel doesn't char, you want it to be lovely and silky soft. With about 20 minutes to go, grab another heat proof dish and throw in your chopped rustic baguette and drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil. When both the bread and fennel are ready, pop the fennel in a bowl. Meanwhile, pop your peas in a microwave proof dish with about 2 tablespoons water and microwave for about 3 minutes (depending on your wattage) drain and add to the fennel. Grab your bamix and blend roughly, till your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

I haven't tried it but roasted garlic pureed through might be nice too.....let me know if you try it!

Grab a large plate and throw on the warmed chopped baguette. In a small dish add your pea and fennel puree.

Great mixed with Tuna and salad or enjoy instead of mashed potato! YUM

Happy New Year! - cabbage, fennel and celery salad with apple juice dressing

Hey there everybody!! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, New Year, time off from work and time with your loved ones...
Life has been super busy (as always!) We have had lovely catch ups with friends and family and have had some amazing food. (My fave? - you can see it here).....then our dishwasher died. There's nothing like overflowing grimy dishes to take the shine off cooking! Hubby tried fixing it but alas a 15 year old dishwasher is a bit like a teenager.....it never does what you want it too! So off we went and bought a newbie. It was installed today and it is sooo shiny and new and CLEAN! I felt bad about putting my dirty dinner plates in there. Almost embarrassed............But I'm sure I'll get over it by ooooooooo tomorrow!

Enough about me, How are you?

ingredients

1 small baby fennel, finely sliced
Reserve the fronds from the fennel to use the greenery on top of the salad
2 sticks of celery, finely sliced on an angle
Reserve some of the leaves of the celery, finely chop about 1 tablespoon
about 100g of red cabbage, finely sliced
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon of apple juice (the best you can afford - you can enjoy it with the dish too!)
a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

how to make your cabbage, fennel and celery salad with apple juice dressing

Make sure your celery, cabbage and apple juice are cold. Doesn't matter so much with the fennel.

Have everything sliced and ready to go. Now it just depends how you are going to serve it - in a large bowl for everyone to help themselves or individually.
Mix the vegetables together along with some salt and pepper. Just before serving drizzle over the apple juice and some extra virgin olive oil. Lightly mix together. DONE!!

enjoy!