In this week’s share:

• Green Crisp Lettuce
• Fennel
• Carrots
• Chioggia beets
• Peppers
• Green Beans
• Keuka Gold Potatoes
• Garlic
• Sweet Dumpling Squash
• Broccoli

This was my first time cooking with fennel, and it actually was a lot of fun. The more unusual the shape and/or flavor profile of an ingredient, the more excited I am to try it out in the kitchen (and on Habanero).

Chicken provided the perfect palette for warm, licorice-scented fennel and sweet carrots (added in my variation of the original recipe), and these were further enriched by the aroma released from a little minced rosemary. This also was the perfect dish to showcase a little of the Italian parsley from Week 5′s CSA share.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Fennel, Carrots, and Rosemary

very slightly adapted from a cooking.com recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb (about 1¼ pounds), cut into ½-inch slices
• 8 carrots, peeled, (if necessary, cut lengthwise into ½-inch-thick pieces)
  
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary, minced
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1⅓ pounds in all)
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the fennel, carrots, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the fennel is golden brown and almost done, about 12 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the fennel and carrots are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables and the cooking liquid from the pan.

Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the pepper. Add the chicken to the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon of rosemary and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until almost done, about 3 minutes longer. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables and their cooking liquid and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Let steam 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

In this week’s share:

• parsley
• fennel
• arugula
• cabbage
• dill
• carrots
• collards
• white salad turnips

I’ve never cooked with fennel before, and am excited to experiment with it this week! No idea what to make yet, though.

I’m also looking for some inspiration for the dill. The collard greens might simply be sautéed in bacon drippings. As for the cabbage, I’ll admit I find it intimidating, and have no idea what to do with this massive leafy sphere. (Hopefully one of my friends will “adopt” it and make good use of it.)