Don't let the strong taste of fennel scare you: it fades down after cooking. This is a rich and creamy risotto, just like it ought to be! You can use chicken stock in place of the vegetable stock, as well as olive oil for the butter.
Wow! This is awesome! I haven't even served it yet and I'm here to write a review. The fennel flavor is cut down but still softly present. Make sure you use fresh parmesan (I had some asiago), and don't be shy! I also doctored it a bit, but really not that much - used half the heavy cream and added an equal volume of milk, and splashed a bit of chardonnay + some oregano in there towards the end. I did not have arborio rice, so I used some thai rice. No worries there. My only complaint is that you have to hover over the pot, but the results are great and it was totally worth it.
Read MoreOk but not great. If I ever decide to make this dish again (which I doubt), I will dice the fennel real small. The big slices of fennel were too crunchy for us.
Read MoreWow! This is awesome! I haven't even served it yet and I'm here to write a review. The fennel flavor is cut down but still softly present. Make sure you use fresh parmesan (I had some asiago), and don't be shy! I also doctored it a bit, but really not that much - used half the heavy cream and added an equal volume of milk, and splashed a bit of chardonnay + some oregano in there towards the end. I did not have arborio rice, so I used some thai rice. No worries there. My only complaint is that you have to hover over the pot, but the results are great and it was totally worth it.
This was delicious. The flavor had a slight sweet taste (thank you fennel!) but wasn't extremely overpowering. It was creamy and wonderful. YUM! I made it for Christmas dinner alongside fennel roast rabbit and lemon basil carrots!
Really yummy taste and texture...after adding some salt. Also, I will chop the sliced fennel slices in half the next time I make it. I love risottos and I think this will become my favorite after tinkering with it a bit.
Ok but not great. If I ever decide to make this dish again (which I doubt), I will dice the fennel real small. The big slices of fennel were too crunchy for us.
Wonderful vegetarian recipe! Just a few minor changes - I used light thick cream and also added some fresh mushrooms as well. Also used fresh parsley which I think gives it a bit more flavour than dried. Tasted quite yummy with some white wine! We were meant to have it as entrees before the roast turkey but hubby went back for a second plate in lieu of the main course...! Definitely a keeper!
Tasty. I thought the amount of fennel would be too much, but it isn't. I did find it too rich with the whipping cream so now I don't use it at all, I just increase the amount of broth. It still comes out creamy.
Next time I'll use more vegetables in proportion to the rice (personal preference). I added mushrooms to the fennel and onion; I'll try zucchini in addition to that. I cut everything into large bite-size chunks, BTW, which worked well. The fennel was absolutely delicious in this context. I didn't have enough heavy cream so I used sour cream and milk to make up the 1 cup -- came out beautifully. My husband really enjoyed it.
I added peas to this recipe and replaced the parmesan and cream with goats cheese - delicious!!!
Very tasty. I substituted half and half for heavy cream and used homemade chicken broth. I halved the recipe based on quantities I had on hand and ended up with more than enough to serve as a side dish to my family of four.
I made the recipe just as written except that I ran out of chicken stock so finished off the last couple of cups with white wine. I also used fresh parsley. It was a very subtle wonderful rich dish.
This dish was excellent. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of 5 is that at 1/4" thick, some of the fennel was underdone. I would recommend slicing the fennel about 1/8" thick. Also, if you are not familiar with fennel, you should know that as you slice it, it will separate into thin v-shaped pieces. The core will not separate and be solid; this should be discarded. As others have noted, I used 1/2 & 1/2 instead of heavy cream and it was very creamy with wonderful flavor.
yummy risotto! First time making Risotto from scratch and it was great. Wonderful flavors!
Followed this recipe to the letter and it was a hit! Excellent, excellent! Rich, creamy, what else is there?
I simply added the sautéed fennel to a box mix of Four Cheese Risotto and it turned out great.
This risotto is wonderful, warm, yummy, creamy! Love it! Will definitely make again! Had never used whole Fennel before except in Fennel seed form in Spaghetti Sauce, it is a requirement.
Very tasty recipe for fennel lovers. I didn't have any cream so used soft cheese instead. Worked well, plus used brown rice and cooked for longer. Will make again.
followed exactly as written--it was fabulous! the fennel was not strong at all and the risotto was rich and creamy. Will definitely make this recipe again!
Love! I'm wondering though if the suggestion of 4 fennel bulbs is actually baby fennel? I went ahead and bought four large fennel bulbs here in Australia and it was just waaaaaaaaaaay too much to put in a risotto. But all's well that ends well - I froze half the fennel and am looking forward to making it again tonight :)
I cut the recipe in half and used one bulb of fennel. Added carrot, mushrooms and some red peppers. Olive oil to start, a little butter for flavor. A little oat milk rather than heavy cream, finished with Pecorino Romano. Lovely and fairly low in lactose. Will cut the fennel smaller next time and use my non stick saucepan!
A most excellent side dish, especially because this was the first time I made it. It took a little longer than I expected to get the crunch out of the rice, but the end result was worth the effort. Used chicken stock instead of vegetable, some fresh asparagus on the side, and a half chicken breast braised in olive oil and garlic with a little soy sauce.
Followed the recipe exactly and it was absolutely delicious. I didn't find the fennel taste strong at all and it was creamy and wonderful. I highly recommend this one.
This was delicious! It did make a lot for just 2 of us but we love leftovers here. Even my 15 year old loved it. I'll definitely be making it again.
Made this tonight! FANTASTIC! Used 4 cups fennel, sliced thinly yet irregular lengths, sauteed with onion and garlic for longer. Some fennel disappeared yet the larger pieces gave texture. Stirred in about one cup of baby peas. Will definitely make again!
Very nice, we all enjoyed it, especially my toddler. Good comfort food, with a rich taste, but perhaps a bit boring without a side dish.
Absolutely loved it! Made it for a family gathering (50 people - doubled the recipe) and the compliments were flowing! Chop the fennel small though - i also added mushrooms and fresh parsley. Now a family favv!
This was absolutely delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except that I ran out of vegetable stock, so I used water (it still tasted delicious!), and I replaced dried parsley with fresh parsley. I was pleasantly surprised with how much the fennel flavor calmed throughout the process. Perfect for a spring dish!
I never added the cream due to not everyone could have cream. We loved the recipe.
A lot of work, but turned out really good. I had a large fennel bulb so had about equal onion and fennel.
