Eggs on a bed of Chickpeas, Peas and Onion.

The base of this dish was originally soup. In it's first incarnation I fried some onion and garlic, added some water and veg stock, then chickpeas and finally frozen peas. The stock was so delicious I drank it all and was left with a solid base on which to place boiled eggs. Before I did this, I mixed it with my lovely fennel fronds in olive oil, and some herbs provençal. Looks a bit strange perhaps, but it's truly delicious.

Fennel and Potato Soup

This is a basic soup which is a nice comforting evening meal.

Boil up a pan of water, then add a good amount of diced potatoes (maybe 4 medium sized ones) and 2 teaspoons of veg stock.

Then add two diced onions and four cloves of chopped garlic. Let it boil for about 10 minutes.

Next, add a chopped fennel bulb and let the whole thing boil down until the potatoes disintegrate and the whole thing starts to look a bit soupey.

Serve it with fennel fronds sprinkled on top. I used my fennel preserved in olive oil.

Butterbean, Leek and Pea Salad with Fennel Dressing

This is a beautifully delicate and satisfying salad.

Fry a leek in butter. When it's almost done add a handful of frozen peas and cooked butterbeans. Let the excess moisture evaporate, then add some chopped fennel fronds and lemon juice.

Add a bit of salt and pepper if that's your thing, and serve on lettuce leaves with some toast and olive oil on the side.

Other herbs will do if you don't have fennel. I got a fennel buld with massive fronds in my organic veg box so I chopped it up and put it in a jar with olive oil to preserve it. Coming up are some other recipes that use this fennel in oil...