Fennel is one of those intimidating vegetables, with its overwhelming anise aroma. Uncooked, it wards off small children and those unfamiliar with its sweet licorice flavor.

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I had a fennel bulb or two in the fridge, and I waited all week to make sausage and fennel frittata with a side of fresh-baked Italian bread and an arugula salad with a Dijon vinaigrette. While I was cooking the frittata, my grandkids showed up unexpectedly, adding an unexpected twist to my cooking adventure. I was hesitant to serve it to them, given the strong anise aroma filling my kitchen. But to my surprise, my granddaughter was not deterred by the scent. She loved the flavor combination of the sausage and fennel, and she ate most of the slice I had in my plate (she spit out the arugula). My grandson, on the other hand, was more interested in M&M’s.

Ingredients

1 fennel blub cleaned and chopped
½ cup red onion chopped
½ lb sweet Italian sausage casing removed
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
10 eggs
2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cream
salt & pepper

Instructions

Preheat the broiler, with the top rack about 6 inches from the top.
Heat olive oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Cook Italian sausage until almost done. Then, add onions and fennel and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Whisk the Romano and cream with the eggs. Pour the eggs over the sausage and fennel. Stir gently until the eggs are over the sausage and fennel. Cook until the eggs are mostly set, with just a thin film of liquid on top, about 5-7 minutes.
Put the skillet under the broiler until the top of the frittata is set and browned, about 3-4 minutes. The frittata should be firm to the touch and slightly puffed when done.

Nutrition

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Sausage and Fennel Frittata Recipe