Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Dinner Tonight: Ragout with Fennel and Tomatoes

This is a dish I came up with in order to use the fennel bulbs we occasionally get in our produce box:
Serves 2, generously
1 bulb fennel, sliced thinly
1 can whole stewed tomatoes in juice, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion (white or yellow)
approx 1 cup white wine
approx 1 cup chicken broth
optional:  .5-.75 lbs white meat of your choice, chopped or ground (I have used ground turkey and chopped chicken)
salt, pepper and thyme to taste

In a soup pot or sauce pan, saute the fennel, onion and garlic in olive oil until softened.  Add the meat and cook until barely pink.  Add tomatoes and liquids, and simmer until thickened, about 30~45 mins.  Add the thyme, and allow to simmer 5 more mins (adding it too early can create a bitter note).  Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over soft polenta

Per serving of stew only, using just over 1/2 lb of lean ground turkey:  343 calories, 29% fat (11 g), 40% protein (34 g), 31% carbs (26 g, 7 g fiber).