Chicken & Rice Soup With Fennel

 

1/4 cup diced celery
3/4 cup of fresh fennel - chopped
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic - minced
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
2 teaspoons dry or 2 tablespoons fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 each of a red and green pepper - diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 cups of chicken broth or chicken stock
1 cup of cooked, diced chicken
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water

Saute fresh fennel, onion, and celery in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until tender.  Add garlic, peppers, and wine.  Cook for 2 more minutes, then add chicken stock, basil, oregano, cayenne pepper, and ground fennel seed.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in chicken and rice, and add salt to taste.  Add the dissolved cornstarch to thicken the mixture slightly.  Serve hot.  

Fennel Pork Chops

2 tablespoons of garlic salt
1 tablespoon of fennel seed or 2 tablespoons fresh fennel
1 cup of white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pork chops

Sprinkle garlic salt over the pork chops.  Heat the olive oil in a pan and add pork chops, sprinkling the fennel over the top.  Brown both sides of the pork chops, then add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add more wine during this process if necessary.  Serve hot.