Creamy Fennel and Leek Pasties
Of all the veggies I grow in my garden, I think fennel may be one of the best. EVERY part of the plant is edible - the bulb, the stem, the feathery leaves, the ever-so-slightly sweet pollenated flowers AND the seeds. The bees love the bright yellow fennel flowerheads, which float above the garden like happy clouds. Fennel is incredibly easy to grow - all I do each year is toss some seeds from the previous year onto the soil. I don’t even dig them in! In a few weeks, heaps of little seedlings will have sprouted, and as they get bigger and stronger I transplant them into their final positions.
Fennel looks fantastic planted in a kind of matrix, interspersed among roses and other cottage garden plants, where its feathery foliage and hovering golden flowers help tie all the other plants together. When planted through a vegetable patch, fennel will attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to your crop, helping to ward off pests and to encourage bees to fertilise your veggies. Fennel even looks beautiful at the end of its life cycle - their tall blooms turn from a yellow pollen-covered mist to these structural, brown, rattling seedpods, that tower gracefully above the rest of the garden bed.
Raw fennel is amazing sliced up thinly and tossed through springtime salads, fennel blossoms taste beautiful tossed on top of cakes, ice creams and other desserts and the seeds are amazing thrown into curries, on top of fresh focaccia and even steeped as tea, but if you’re looking for something a little heartier while the weather is still chilly, give these creamy fennel and leek pasties a go, you won’t regret it!
Creamy Fennel and Leek Pasties
Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a starter
Ingredients
6 cups of thinly sliced fennel (about 1 large bulb)
1 leek, thinly sliced and well rinsed
2 bay leaves
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
3/4 cup cream cheese
5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3 x 375g portions of puff pastry
1 egg, whisked
4 Tbsp nigella seeds (or you could use sesame seeds if preferred)
Method
In a large, deep frying pan, fry the fennel, leek and bay leaves in the olive oil with 1 tsp of salt. Fry on moderate heat until the fennel and leek are soft, their liquid has evaporated, and they are starting to caramelise slightly.
Add the chickpeas, cream cheese, garlic, mustard, thyme and allspice. Mix well and fry a further 3-5 minutes. Take off the heat and remove the bay leaves, then leave to cool to room temperature.
Cut the puff pastry into squares. If serving as a main, cut squares about 20cm x 20cm. If serving as an entree, cut squares about 10cm x 10cm. Spoon the fennel and leek mixture onto each square, then fold the squares in half, forming triangular pasties, with the filling sealed in the centre.
Paint each pasty with a little egg white, and sprinkle with the nigella (or sesame) seeds, then place on linked baking trays and bake in the oven at 180˚C for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.
