Braised Fennel With White Bean Purée

By Julia Sherman

Braised Fennel With White Bean Purée
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
5(115)
Notes
Read community notes

Creamy but not overtly rich, this simple preparation of earthy vegetables is infused with the flavor of salty, homemade Parmesan broth — but it’s adaptable, and could also be made using vegetable or chicken stock. If fennel isn’t your thing, try this with celery stalks or parsnips. If you are preparing the puréed beans ahead of time, keep them moist when you reheat them by adding a small splash of Parmesan broth or stock to the saucepan and stirring until warm. This deeply comforting dish can be prepared days in advance and assembled and served within minutes.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the White Bean Purée

    • 2(15-ounce) cans white beans, rinsed
    • 2½cups Parmesan broth, or chicken or vegetable stock
    • 2garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    • ¼teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼teaspoon cracked white pepper, plus more to finish

    For the Braised Fennel

    • 2medium or large fennel bulbs, stalks trimmed, tender fronds reserved
    • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 4large shallots, peeled, tops and root ends trimmed, then halved lengthwise
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • Generous pinch of dried ground sage
    • ⅛teaspoon red-pepper flakes
    • 1cup Parmesan broth
    • ½lemon, juiced (about 1½ tablespoons)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

346 calories; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 924 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the bean purée: Add the beans, 2½ cups Parmesan broth, garlic, salt and white pepper to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to an active simmer and cook 20 minutes, until there is only about ¼ inch of broth covering the beans. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and purée until smooth, creamy and spoonable. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the braised fennel: Slice the fennel in half lengthwise, and cut each half lengthwise into 3 equal wedges. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the fennel wedges in a single layer, cut-side down. Sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook on the opposite cut side for 3 to 5 minutes. (If your fennel doesn’t all fit in the pan, cook the remaining pieces with the shallots in the next step. Do not crowd the pan.) Transfer the cooked fennel to a plate.

  3. Step 3

    Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and cook the shallots on their flat side for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until they have a nice sear. Lower the heat if it starts to smoke.

  4. Step 4

    Return the fennel to the pan, season with kosher salt, sage and red-pepper flakes. Add 1 cup Parmesan broth, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice and being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan, until the vegetables are just tender but cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

  5. Step 5

    Divide the bean purée among shallow bowls, spreading it in an even layer, and season with another crack of white pepper. Top with braised vegetables and spoon the sauce over top. Garnish with tender fennel fronds and serve.

Ratings

5 out of 5
115 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Stephen jackendoff

Sometimes I will squeeze orange juice into the fennel when it is cooking and add a few raisins

Trevor

When cooked according to the directions, the purée is very soupy. I ended up using another can of beans to thicken it, but other approaches would likely work too.

David Kelly

There's something wrong with the quantities here, I ended up with a soup!

Rachel

Made it with veggie broth only, and it was very delicious! That said, some parmesan on the top at the end is definitely not a bad idea. I would also recommend either adding more beans or less broth into the puree as it is a little soupy.

Amanda

The first time I made the Parmesan broth that’s used as the base of this recipe it was a complete failure—it smelled amazing but had zero flavor. I increased the amount of cheese rinds and carefully followed the recipe to a T and it came out great! The beans do come out kind of thin, so add liquid gradually if you want a thicker consistency. I would definitely make this again

Kim

The puree is thin, but it works with this recipe. Right after blending it with my immersion blender, I thought I had made a mistake by not cooking off enough liquid. But after I ladled it onto my plate, it started to stiffen, and the result was rich and creamy. Don't cook too much sauce out of the fennel. It's very tasty and you'll want enough to put a couple of spoonfuls on every bowl.

Diana

I cooked this dish a while ago and forgot to comment. I read comments about the parmesan cheese sticking to the pot. Make sure you have enough water in the pot at all times and that the cheese broth is stirred frequently. You cannot leave the pot unattended while the cheese melts. Also, putting the cheese in a cheesecloth bag is helpful, as another commenter said. Mine came out great, no issues with too much cheese sticking to the pot. Very tasty! Will make again.

Sara W

This one is a keeper. Used chicken broth and added a bit of parm rind when cooking the beans, then skimmed a half cup of the broth from the beans to braising the fennel (with another half cup of broth). Solved the excess liquid in beans issue and made the fennel/shallot sauce a bit more luxurious.

Kim

The puree is thin, but it works with this recipe. Right after blending it with my immersion blender, I thought I had made a mistake by not cooking off enough liquid. But after I ladled it onto my plate, it started to stiffen, and the result was rich and creamy. Don't cook too much sauce out of the fennel. It's very tasty and you'll want enough to put a couple of spoonfuls on every bowl.

Sherry

Good basic comfort dish but needed more "pop". I added more lemon juice and cayenne. Next time add artichoke hearts, roasted carrots or another veggies. I made this with 1/4c cream; 1/4 cup whole milk and next time will probably use only milk as it was quite creamy and perhaps more parm.

Elena

Mat at myself for not reading the comments first...the puree was way too soupy.

Amanda

The first time I made the Parmesan broth that’s used as the base of this recipe it was a complete failure—it smelled amazing but had zero flavor. I increased the amount of cheese rinds and carefully followed the recipe to a T and it came out great! The beans do come out kind of thin, so add liquid gradually if you want a thicker consistency. I would definitely make this again

Rachel

Made it with veggie broth only, and it was very delicious! That said, some parmesan on the top at the end is definitely not a bad idea. I would also recommend either adding more beans or less broth into the puree as it is a little soupy.

Trevor

When cooked according to the directions, the purée is very soupy. I ended up using another can of beans to thicken it, but other approaches would likely work too.

Carmen

I didn’t have time to make Parmesan broth. Instead, I added all those ingredients to the chicken broth, added them to the simmering beans and puréed it all together. I planned to shave Parmesan cheese over the final dish, but it had plenty of flavor without it.

Helena

This was beautiful. I’m not a fan of beans, but this was so delicious. I didn’t have Parmesan broth so I just used vegetable stock, and my immersion blender stopped working so the beans weren’t puréed but that was only a textural difference. Didn’t have the lemon or white pepper either, so I can only assume it’s more delicious with them!

Samantha

Maybe the Parmesan broth makes the difference—not something readily accessible in rural Idaho; I used chicken broth. It was well received but it needed some punching up. I increased the red pepper flakes and substituted lime for lemon. Still room for improvement.

Anne

Parmesan broth is easily made at home by simmering Parmesan cheese rinds for 1-2 hours in water; then freeze until needed. I don't think it is available commercially; at least, I've never seen it. It's also good for bean soups and to cook vegetables .

David Kelly

There's something wrong with the quantities here, I ended up with a soup!

Jen

One of the most insanely good things I've made in a while. Added some sake at the end, but a tiny bit of Chartreuse would be even more amazing. Keep those parm rinds and use them!

Stephen jackendoff

add a drop of Sambuco and a tablespoon of orange marmalade

Stephen jackendoff

Sometimes I will squeeze orange juice into the fennel when it is cooking and add a few raisins

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