Braised fennel & artichoke Salad, with warm lentil tabbouleh and Lemon Thyme Tea

Yup, I'm back. Got something to write about again, to wit; our slow but sure move to eating little but vegetarian at home. Lynn and I have always eaten 3-4 vegetarian meals a week, but as this year has progressed, I have been pushing that number higher and higher for health, environmental, and ethical reasons. So I'll be posting up my vegetarian recipes here.

First entry (and last of 2009!) is a doozy: two beautiful warmish salads, and a great summer drink.

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Braised Artichoke & Fennel Salad with Potato

• Olive oil
• 1 bulb baby fennel, sliced
  
• 1 small bottle of baby artichoke
• 4 small, waxy potatoes such as Desiree, sliced
  
• a bitter salad mix
• salt for seasoning

Put a dash of olive oil into your pan, followed by the fennel, saute is _gently_. Meanwhile, heat a small pot with boiling water and add the potatoes. Rinse the salad with water and set aside.

Once the fennel has browned nicely on both sides (about 10 minutes), take the pan off the heat. Drain the potatoes and set aside, then tip the fennel into the now-empty pot. Add the entire bottle of artichoke hearts, then put it back on a low heat, with the lid slightly ajar.

After 5-10 minutes, take the lid off and let the liquid evaporate. Once it's nearly dry, plate your salad mix, then mix the potatoes in with fennel and artichoke, and spread the mix over the leaves. Garnish with tips from the fennel bulb.

Warm Lentil Tabbouleh with Fetta

• scallions (shallots to us Aussies), finely chopped
  
• 6-8 garlic cloves (or more, woo!), finely chopped
  
• 1 can green or "puy" lentils, drained
  
• 1 slice of fetta, cubed
  
• a bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Heat a pan to low, add a dash of extra virgin olive oil. Add the scallions and garlic, some salt and pepper, and saute _gently_ for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the lentils and stir the mixture for 3-5 minutes. Once it's nice and warm, add the fetta and parsley. You're done!



Lemon Thyme Tea
This is really, really good. Delicous! The perfect thing for a summer arvo.

• half a bunch of lemon thyme (the younger the better), chopped
  
• a decent glop of honey (maybe 2 tbs? maybe 3?)
  
• juice of two limes
• juice of one lemon

Put all the ingredients in a teapot. Add boiling water. Let steep for at least five minutes. Fill a glass with ice, add the tea. And enjoy. You will.