Thursday, June 17, 2010

Steak Dinner with Roasted Green Beans and Fennel


 We had a super-easy and delicious dinner last night.  A simple steak on the grill along with some fresh tomatoes tossed with EVOO, balsamic and fresh basil from my garden and a new green bean side dish that I just recently found on the while surfing the net for recipes for our gourmet group that we are hosting in a few weeks.

The green beans, or thin haricot verts if you can find them (or, as the author of the blog where I found the recipe calls them, Harry Corvair), are roasted in the oven with diced fennel.  My husband and I both thought they were wonderful! 


The fennel adds a wonderful, rich flavor to the beans.  When they come out of the oven, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a handful of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese are added.  Oh, yum!  This is a perfect side dish for a grilled steak.


I had to buy a fairly large bulb of fennel which was too much for the green beans so I carmelized the rest of the fennal on the stove with a little EVOO and  S&P and added it as a topping to the steak.

I can't believe I wasted so many years not cooking with fennel!

The recipe is adapted from the food blog, Foodgasms. I loved this blog!  Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the author has posted anything new in quite a long while.    

Oven Roasted Green Beans and Fennel 
Recipe adapted from Foodgasms
Printable Recipe

Serves 2 as a side dish~

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed, washed and dried
1 small fennel bulb chopped, white part only, core removed, about 1/2 cup
Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher salt, about 1 teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper , about 1/2 teaspoon
A Squeeze of fresh lemon juice,, about 1 tablespoon
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese about 1/4 cup

Preheat oven to 450˚. Chop the fennel bulb into a fine dice. Add the clean, trimmed green beans to a baking sheet and toss with the chopped fennel. Add a splash of EVOO to coat the green beans and fennel without drowning them in oil, add the salt and pepper and toss to blend. Roast until the beans reach the desired al dente stage, about 5-7 minutes

Remove from the oven and immediately add the squeeze of fresh lemon over them and add the fresh grated Parmesan and toos.

Serve immediately.

22 comments:

  1. Oh yum! I have been using fennel often, and love it. Your dinner guests will love this dish!

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  2. Harry Covair - that's too funny!

    Your dinner looks really yummy. I'm sure you'll have no trouble pleasing your guests!

    :)
    ButterYum

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  3. Oh, now Harry is going to stick with me! LOL Fennel makes so many things better- this looks fabulous
    xoxo Pattie

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  4. I love fennel and don't use it often enough. With the green beans, it sounds wonderful.

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  5. This sounds like such a great dinner...yum steak...and any roasted veg is delicious to me!

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  6. I am so hungry....so wish you were next door

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  7. Fennel is an under appreciated vegetable. I love the fresh, crisp and mild anise flavor.

    Your Summer dinner looks wonderful.

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  8. I've really come to love cooked fennel...not too crazy about it raw! This whole meal looks absolutely delicious!

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  9. I love fennel, never had it, tried it in a salad and now we love it! Will definitely be trying the string beans. Love how you topped the steak with it!

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  10. What a great looking dinner! I haven't done too much with fennel, can't wait to try your recipe!

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  11. I love fennel!! Growing up, my parents used to eat it all the time, to the point my sister and I started calling them "fennel people." We still joke about it whenever we're eating fennel. This looks delicious!

    Sues

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  12. I just happened upon your blog. Love it!!!

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  13. That sounds great. I have to admit I have never used fennel!!! Now I will have to try it.

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  14. YUM..I get Haricot Verts at Sam's and I loave roasting everything, lol! Your meals looks PERFECT for this low carb eater :)

    Blessing!
    Gail

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  15. What a delightful side dish. It immediately went into my "food to make from blogs I love" file! This is one side dish that will surely become a favorite. I will call this the Harry Corvair bean dish!
    So funny!
    I am a new follower~ your blog is spectacular!
    Yvonne

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  16. Looks delicious! Love a meal like this for summer.
    Sherry

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  17. I've always wanted to cook fennel, this sounds really tasty!

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  18. è quasi ora di pranzo...aspettami!!!bravissima!!baci!

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  19. We roast a lot of vegetables but never green beans. I am so excited to do them! I just purchased steaks for my husband's Father's Day treat and now I have a delicious side dish. Thanks so much!

    Have a wonderful weekend.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  20. roasted fennel is truly aesome, we love it all year..

    sweetlife

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  21. Susan, that looks so good! I'm growing fennel for the first time this year. I'll be trying this recipe for sure!

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  22. Harry Corvair is fabulous! Would love to see that listed on the menu at a French restaurant!
    I am like you before you started using fennel; now I need to get going using and consuming fennel!

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