Polenta With Grilled Fennel and Apples, Blue Cheese And Apple Jus
(This recipe is vegetarian, NOT vegan but could be made vegan by omitting the cheeses.)

Serves 4 as an entree

1 1/4 c. polenta
5 c. water
5 oz. parmesan, grated
1 large or 2 small bulbs fennel
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 apple suitable for cooking (Rome, Grannysmith, Pink Lady)

For garnish:
4 T. Apfelbalsam Essig vinegar
6 oz. blue cheese (see note above)
2 T. minced parsley
flaky salt (such as Maldon)
fresh ground black pepper
fennel pollen

Bring the water to a boil and whisk in the polenta. Reduce to a simmer and stir frequently for about 30 minutes, until quite smooth. Add more water if it gets too"tight". Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted. Taste and add salt if needed.

Put your serving bowls in a very low oven to warm.

While the polenta is cooking, discard the fennel tops, and slice the bulbs thickly in the vertical direction. Brush with olive oil and grill until thorougly tender and starting to get black spots. Allow to cool and then cut into medium dice.
Peel and slice the apples thickly, and grill as with the fennel, but leave in slices. You just want to get them somewhat tender.

When you are just about ready to serve, heat a saute pan over a high flame, add 2 T. of the olive oil, and give the the fennel a quick saute to reheat. Add a couple pinches of salt.

To serve, put 1 c. polenta in a warmed bowl, top with fennel and apples and blue cheese, drizzle 1 T of the apple vinegar, sprinkle on generous pinches of flaky salt and fennel pollen, and add a final grind of black pepper.

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Risotto with Asparagus, Fennel Pollen, and Ricotta Salata

Makes 4 servings.

This is a unique and interesting dish, but it works Fennel pollen is the hand-collected microgametophyte of wild fennel. It has a concentrated, but delicate, fennel taste, with floral honey-like notes. The yellowish-gold powder is not cheap, but a little goes a very long way. Perfect on scallops, pork, and blanched vegetables, the fennel pollen is what makes this dish.

Ricotta salata is a dense, slightly spongy cheese with heavy notes of fresh milk and salt. Not your ordinary ricotta—ricotta just means recooked—ricotta salata is great in salads or served cool atop grilled vegetables. It is not a great melting cheese, so you rarely see it in risottos as featured here. But if you grate the ricotta salata very fine—a food processor works well—and integrate with a little extra cooking liquid, it makes an interesting coat over the rice.

Ingredients:
3 quarts water
2 tablespoons sea salt, to salt water
18 medium-sized spears asparagus, bottoms trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 shallots, diced
1.5 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
2 teaspoons fennel pollen
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup freshly and finely-grated ricotta salata, as fine as possible, plus four "peels" for garnish
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoon fresh chive, chopped, to garnish
gray salt, to taste
freshly-ground white pepper, to taste

Blanching the Asparagus:
In a stockpot or sauce pan, bring 3 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons of sea salt to a boil. The proportions matter as we are going to use the cooking water for our risotto. Once boiling, add the asparagus. Blanch for 90 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, remove the asparagus and submerge in an ice bath. Drain. Cut into 1" long pieces and reserve.
Lower heat to a gentle simmer, just enough to keep the cooking water warm.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shallot and saute until just soft, about four minutes.

Add the rice to the pan and, stirring frequently, toast until opaque, about 90 seconds.
Add the fennel pollen and stir to coat.

Add the white wine, scrapping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is almost gone.

Cooking the Risotto:
Decrease heat to medium-low. Add a ladle of the asparagus cooking water to the pan, just enough to cover the rice. Stir frequently, until the water is all but completely evaporated. Continue, a ladle at a time, until the risotto is cooked, slightly al dente, and creamy. This should take about 30 minutes.

Add the asparagus to the rice and cook just long enough to return it to temperature and integrate.
Remove from heat. Add the butter, the grated ricotta salata, and the chopped Italian parsley. Fold in. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If needed, add more cooking liquid, a tablespoon at a time, to help the cheese coat the risotto.

Plated, Garnished, and Ready to Serve.

Serve immediately, garnished with chopped chive and a peel of ricotta salata. Pairs as well as one can hope with a Garganega from Italy's Soave Classico DOC.

http://food.rlove.org/2008/10/risotto-with-asparagus-fennel-pollen.html

Food & Love   Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Robert Love's Food & Recipe Blog