We adore roasted veggies at our house. It seems the possibilities are endless when it comes to roasting veggies. Roasting is especially important for those eyebrow raising, face wincing vegetables (translation: not sure about these, mom.); roasting seems to assuage any concerns about flavor, texture and ultimately consumption. The proof is in the roasting: none of us liked brussel sprouts. BUT when roasted with olive oil and coarse salt they become an immediate favorite, a request in the name of side-dishes. Cooking them this way causes two of us to become giddy, and a third to keep saying: “I really don’t like brussel sprouts… but I really like these.” And a fourth? The jury is still out.This Thanksgiving, we have a history-marking, unusual dinner to attend. My dear friend is getting married, and Thanksgiving week is the time she chose. It is perfect, really. Not only is it her favorite holiday, but it will involve a pile of people coming together to be thankful for love, for festivity, for cause to celebrate over a table bursting with food.

And we each signed up for a plethora of food favorites, must-haves for the big meal, memories from families near and far. My contribution will be brussel sprouts and orange rolls. I will roll up my sleeves and help everyone else, since these brussel sprouts—which often appear on our table at home—will take no more than 10 minutes to prepare:

Roasted Brussel Sprouts
brussel sprouts
olive oil
coarse salt (fleur de sel is best)

Cut tops off sprouts, slice in half if they are nearing the size of golf balls. Douse with olive oil, use hands to toss, so all are lightly coated with oil. Sprinkle with salt. Place in 400 oven for 30 minutes. Give thanks and serve.

I am in heaven. I love fennel. In fact, I wish I had the wherewithal to eat fennel bulbs like apples; perhaps a 2008 New Year resolution?

Instead of eating them raw in my paws, I am finding creative ways to insert them into lunches… dinners… even breakfast.

This post is about ‘what to do when you have 2 fennel bulbs’ because there have been times when I had 2… and they went to waste based solely on my lack of inspiration. Fennel be saved: I now have some quick defaults for fennel: a bonafide back door to inspiration. All you need are 2 fennel bulbs, a few Tablespoons (or ‘gluggs’ of olive oil—that is how my kids and I measure olive oil amounts: “mom, how many gluggs of olive oil?”), and a large pinch of kosher/coarse salt. The last time I roasted fennel, I added a few Tablespoons of diced prosciutto. What? I couldn’t help it:

Roasted Fennel
2 fennel bulbs (stalks and stems removed)
3 T olive oil
1 large pinch kosher salt
optional: a couple grinds coarse pepper

Heat oven to 400. Slice fennel into 1/4-1/2 inch slices. Lube with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Now, if you are getting a tad more creative, and plan ahead with a slightly longer list of ingredients, you can make French Fennel Onion Soup or Potato Fennel Gratin. Both are well worth the effort. Yum.

I don’t know what it is about me and making food taste like ‘candy,’ but for some reason, while I am in the middle of consuming—usually some variation of roasted vegetable—I think of candy. Not candy from the candy shop, necessarily, nor the overwhelm of eye candy that I experience each time at the Farmer’s Market, but rather food candy, veggie candy, or simply the amazing sweetness of nature that is meant to mesmerize us.

Fennel does that to me. I look forward to a bite of fennel the way my kids look forward to a bite of candy. I loved it roasted; and tonight I tried it sauteed and it was equally to die for. And for our family of four, this was just one fennel bulb, 3 small parsnips and a T each of olive oil and butter. Peel parsnips, then mandoline both parsnips and fennel. Toss into skillet with olive oil and butter, sautee over medium low for 10-15 minutes until caramelized. Add big pinch of kosher salt and coarse pepper. Serve.

Simple is good.

More great input on fennel:

• from Fine Cooking (one of my fave magazines)
• Fennel overview from Gilded Fork
• Fennel recipes from Epicurious

And more fennel candy mezmirization on friendly food blogs:

• Elise at Simply Recipes also adores Roasted Fennel
• Alanna from Veggie Venture makes Fennel & Blood Orange Salad
• …and this sounds yummy: The Village Vegetable makes a Sage Fennel Tart

I was seriously berated the other night by my fourth grader, then my fifth grader and finally my husband: “You mean, you haven’t told them about the corn?” They were drop-the-jaw shocked that I hadn’t shared with you quite possibly their favorite, quick and easy vegetable side dish: sauteed corn. We eat it at least once a week. I know: why haven’t I told you about it? Don’t you get started too!

I guess this side dish is so simple—and quite uneventful—that I forget how good it is (and easy to make is always good). Trust me, it wouldn’t land on our table so often if it wasn’t good. Of course I should share it with you: what was I thinking?

So, without further ado, the famed family corn:

Sauteed Corn
1 bag of frozen corn (10 or 16 oz is fine)
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp Italian seasonings (or fresh oregano, basil and/or sage piled in your palm, thinly cut with a scissors)

Put corn into colander in sink and rinse with lukewarm water to thaw; let drain. Heat sautee pan, with olive oil and butter, over medium heat. Add corn, with salt and herbs, and sautee for 10-12 minutes. Off heat and serve.

If you serve my son a burger, he will say to you: “I cannot imagine a burger without blue cheese.” And then, while shaking his head from side to side, he will say: “it is soooooooo good.” He captures my heart; I am equally a fan of the pungent, pervasive, personalitied blue.

And I always am on the search for a quality coleslaw to resurrect the bad reputation sliced cabbage has earned from summery picnics and potlucks. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of a community table; but haven’t you met a pile of over mayo’d, unnaturally warm and soggy, out of a bag, well-worn slaw? Consider this: does the thought of coleslaw on the end of a fork make your cringe or lick you chops?

So imagine my trepidation when we went to dinner at a friend’s house and the beautifully marinated and grilled steak came plated with none other than coleslaw. Hold breath, insert fork, open mouth… seconds please? Maybe thirds? Oh, I forgot to take more the first time: uh, I didn’t believe coleslaw had redemptive value.

I am a believer, as blue cheese is my witness:

Blue Cheese Coleslaw
1 small head white/green cabbage
2/3 cup mayo
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 T whole grain mustard
2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp celery salt
KS&CP (kosher salt & course pepper) to taste
2/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Slice Cabbage as thin as possible, removing cores. Blend mayo, mustards, salts, vinegar and pepper; stir dressing into cabbage, but do not drown it or heaven forbid: sog it (you can always add more dressing but you cannot take it out). Do not help promote the coleslaw stereotype. Add crumbled blue and parsley to blend. Will keep in fridge a few hours. You might want to tweak the amounts to your liking: I did.

Quick: before summer is officially here, make this gratin. You—and I—won’t want these thick, buttery, cheesy carbohydrates mid-summer when we are concerned about our midriffs. But the caveat is: this gratin satiates and fills you with even a small portion (I am all in favor of trimming portion sizes so I can still enjoy favorite dishes!). I make this gratin for big holiday meals, when I am asked to ‘bring potatoes’ or ‘bring a side dish.’ It always pleases, and I especially love the inclusion of one of my favorite vegetables: fennel.

This is a recipe [adapted] from Barefoot Contessa, one of my regular kitchen companions. The last time I made these, I used a cylinder cookie/pastry cutter and a sprig of thyme to give these servings of gratin a gourmet look. It took me two seconds to cut them into circles—and the presentation was well worth it!

Potato Fennel Gratin
2 small fennel bulbs
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Butter the inside of 9 x 13; remove fennel stalks and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise, removing cores. Peel potatoes; slice fennel, onion and potatoes on mandoline/in cuisinart. Set potatoes aside. Saute fennel/onions for 15 minutes in olive oil and butter.

Mix potatoes in a bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, pepper. Add sauteed fennel and onion and mix well. Pour into the baking dish; press down to smooth top. Combine 2 T of cream and 1/2 cup Gruyère and sprinkle on top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350; the top will be browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.