So as many of you know I have been harboring a fear of fennel for a long time. Everyone always describes it as tasting like black licorice...which I don't like so I have just shied away from eating it. However, it has become more and more popular so I knew that the time to face my fears was quickly approaching. And OMG I am so thankful I did!! I have truly become a fennel believer and I am more than willing to try ANY recipe that has it listed as an ingredient.




On Sunday night I made Roasted Fennel, Egg and Pancetta Panzanella. For those of you who aren't familiar with panzanella, it is a bread salad. It is normally made with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil, but this recipe definitely had a twist as it had the fennel and pancetta roasted together and it was served with an egg on top.

I truly made this recipe on the coldest night of the year and it was seriously the best comfort food on the planet and yes, I am confident in that declaration. The fennel is sliced and mixed with the pancetta, garlic, sugar and olive oil. It is roasted for 10 minutes. Then add 4 cups of ciabatta bread cubes. This was the hardest part for me as I really just wanted to snack on the bread cubes. I bought ciabatta from La Brea bakery and it was fresh, soft and just yummy to snack on!!! Roast the mixture for another 10 minutes.

While this concoction is roasting cook the 4 eggs in olive oil. I had never cooked eggs in olive oil and it  was awesome. It really gave the eggs a little extra flavor, kept them from sticking and made them really golden and crispy around the edges. Loved it!!

I do have to admit that the recipe called for sunny side up eggs, however I ALWAYS prefer my eggs over hard so I did go a slightly different path from the recipe on this one portion.

• 8 ounces pancetta, cut into cubes
• 1 large fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided $
• 4 cups cubed or torn ciabatta bread
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 large eggs $
• 2 cups arugula

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat oven to 425°. Mix pancetta, fennel, garlic, sugar, and 2 tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast together, stirring often, until mixture is starting to brown and soften, about 10 minutes. Add ciabatta and sprinkle mixture with pepper. Roast until bread is toasted and fennel is softened, about 10 minutes more.
2. 2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into pan, cover, and fry until whites are set, about 3 minutes.
3. 3. Mix warm bread mixture with arugula and divide among 4 plates. Set an egg on top of each.

Overall, this is one of my favorite recipes of the moment. And sure I know I am very recipe fickle, but I would even make this one again. The spice from the fennel, paired with the saltiness of the pancetta is a winning combination. I love the combination of textures between the bread, the egg and the fennel. And roasting everything gives it all a sweet and nutty flavor that just compliments all of the ingredients perfectly. This dish is also very versatile, it could be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I just happened to do it for dinner so I could have it with wine.

I paired this dish with Millesime's 2006 Scoprire which is a blend of Syrah, Sangiovese and Viognier. And it complimented the fennel and pancetta perfectly!! Truly a pairing to dream of.