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Years ago, when I was in New Orleans with a bunch of friends to watch the Gators in the Sugar Bowl, I had the pleasure of going to Mr. B’s Bistro. This restaurant is one in the pantheon of Brennan family fine and famous, New Orleans restaurants. One of their most famous dishes is BBQ shrimp, which is quite the misnomer since it doesn’t go anywhere near the BBQ. I love this dish and have made it many times since I tasted it at Mr. B’s, changing it quite a bit from the original recipe. So I immediately thought about this dish for an appetizer in my personal Iron Chef fennel challenge.

Ingredients

• 4 T butter
• 1/4 C diced fennel
• 3 cloves garlic, minced/crushed
• 1/4 C dry white wine
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1/2 t dried rosemary
• 1/2 t dried thyme
• 1/2 t dried marjoram
• cayenne pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 t)
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and de-veined
• French bread, thinly sliced
• Grated three cheese blend (fontina, asiago, parmesan)

Directions

Heat butter in a saute pan over medium high heat. When the butter has melted add the fennel and stir regularly. When the fennel is starting to get translucent, add the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another minute or so, till the garlic starts to brown. Deglase the pan with the white wine and then add the lemon juice.

Turn off the heat and add the spices, the Worcestershire sauce, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and pour into an oven safe baking dish (10×10). You can make this part ahead of time and let marinate in the fridge. Or you can immediately make the shrimp.

Preheat the oven to 425 °F. Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet and cover each generously with the three cheese blend.

Place the shrimp in the baking dish with the sauce. The shrimp should all be in one layer. Sploosh the sauce around to cover the shrimp.

When the oven is ready put the shrimp and the crostini in the oven at the same time. They’re going to become intimately acquainted in your mouth, so give them this opportunity to warm up to each other.

After about 15 minutes, flip the shrimp over. They should be pink on the side that was down and now up. Put back in the oven and cook until the shrimp are completely pink and the crostini are starting to brown.

To serve, pour the shrimp and the sauce in a bowl. Serve with the crostini to mop up all the yummy sauce and scoop up some of the fennel.

You’ve seen it before. Some onion-looking thing that that smells ever so subtly of licorice. The stalks look like fern-like celery. What on earth do you do with fennel?

It turns out you can do quite a lot. You can saute, braise, bake, grill, or eat it raw. It kind of has the consistency of celery with the bite of licorice. When you cook it, the licorice taste becomes a lot more subtle, replaced with sweetness.

After watching an episode of Iron Chef last weekend, I decided I’d do one by myself and have Paul, my boyfriend (and photographer of most of my food), choose the ingredient. He said anise, I countered, “How about fennel?” What resulted were three courses all using fennel bulb. The appetizer and dessert were fennel-altered takes on famous recipes from New Orleans restaurant, Mr. B’s and Yountville bistro, Bouchon. I’ll be posting all of these shortly.

As the bulbs and trees start to bloom up here in New England, we’re all starting to get excited about summer fruits and vegetables. One of my favorites, which also happen to have a bad rap, are Brussel sprouts. I am taking a stab at growing these this year, so look for lots of recipes later this summer as I try to find creative and tasty ways to eat them.

In general, I find that these little cabbages pair well with lemony or vinegary sauces. But they’re great with just a little butter, garlic, and salt. In this recipe I’ve tried to move them from being relegated to a side dish and make them the star of a pasta dish for lunch. If I wasn’t eating it for lunch at work, I might pair it with a dry white wine.

Ingredients

• 25-30 Brussel sprouts with small, compact heads
• 1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/4 C raw pine nuts
• 1/4 C fresh tarragon, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 1 t paprika
• 3 lemons, juiced
• Salt, to taste
• 4 servings of cooked pasta, I used shells here, but any short pasta would do well

Directions

The trick with Brussel sprouts is to cook them enough to take away their bitter edge, but not so much that they turn into a mushy mess. Microwaving them before you cook them helps. Start by rinsing them, cutting off the ends, and slicing lengthwise. Put in a microwave safe bowl with a little water, covered slightly. Microwave for about 4-5 minutes, stirring them every minute or so.

Strain the water from the sprouts. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan to medium high heat. Put the sprouts in the pan and distribute evenly. Salt the sprouts with a pinch or two of salt, to your taste.

Let the sprouts cook uncovered for a few minutes. Do not stir. Allow them to start to get a little brown on one side and then stir. Use tongs to get as many of them flipped to the other side as possible. Salt again and let the other side start to brown.

When both sides are getting brown and the sprouts are starting to get softer (but again, not mushy) add the garlic and pine nuts on top of them, letting the ambient heat start to cook them. After a minute or two, mix the garlic and pine nuts so that they touch the pan.

Add the tarragon and mix thoroughly.

When the garlic is cooked and the pine nuts are starting to brown, add the artichoke hearts, butter, paprika, and lemon juice. Add more salt to taste if necessary.

Mix in the cooked pasta and serve. Add a little fresh parmesan cheese on top with a little cracked pepper.