Guest Chef

Our Guest Chef this month is Charmaine Solomon and the recipe chosen, Braised Fennel with Onion, is from her wonderful cookbook, Charmaine Solomon's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. This recipe makes a quick and easy accompaniment to any meat or chicken dish. The pleasant liquorice flavour of fennel is given more savoury overtones when cooked with onion.

• 1 medium onion
• 3 bulbs fennel
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• Black pepper and salt to taste

Peel the onion and slice into thin rings. Wash and slice fennel. Melt the butter in saucepan, add the onion and fennel and toss over medium heat for a few minutes. Sprinkle liberally with fresh ground pepper and a little salt, cover pan, reduce heat and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until fennel is tender. Serve hot.

Serves 6.