Fennel, Clams, Couscous
Recipe taken from Joshua McFadden's "Six Seasons", with some minor modifications -- my grocery store ran out of mussels so I used clams instead. This dish features fennel in two ways -- fennel and finocchiona, a fennel-flavored salami. The flavor combination of the fennel, clams, salami, and citrus is a delightful and vibrant combination. This is essentially a full meal in of itself. Would definitely recommend giving it a try!
Active Time: 30 min
Total Time: 40 min
Ingredients
> large fennel bulb (1 lb or so)
> clams (1 lb)
> couscous (1 cup)
> finocchiona (3 oz)
> white wine (1/2 cup)
> parsley, roughly chopped (1 cup, packed)
> garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (2 cloves)
> juice + zest of 1 orange
> chili flakes
> olive oil, salt
Instructions
Preparations:
1. Remove the stalks and core of the fennel bulb, then cut into 1/4-inch slices.
2. Carefully scrub + wash the clams, taking care to make sure no sand or dirt remains.
3. Remove the casing of the finocchiona, halve of quarter lengthwise (depending on girth), and cut into 1/4-inch slices
Cooking:
1. Cook the couscous in a pot of salted water for just shy of the recommended cook time. Drain, toss in a bit of olive oil, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet / saute pan with plenty of olive oil, cook fennel over medium heat until tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic 5 minutes before the fennel finishes cooking. Stir occasionally.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the clams, finocchiona, chili flakes, and white wine. Cover and cook until the clams have all opened, no more than 5 minutes. Shake the pan occasionally. If the clams have still not opened after 5 minutes, discard them.
4. Add the parsley, orange juice, orange zest, and shake to incorporate.
5. Fold in the couscous, remove it from the heat, cover, and let it warm up for a minute or two. Tumble everything around to fluff and distribute the couscous, drizzle with some olive oil, and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Many substitutions are possible -- use mussels / other shellfish instead of clams, use lemon instead of orange (but make sure to tone down the amount of juice accordingly), etc.
> I think this could go really well with some paprika and saffron, sort of like paella-style. Not sure how that would play with the finocchinoa but it's definitely worth trying.