Sautéed Fennel with Couscous and Lemon

From Vegan Everything - 100 Easy Recipes for Any Craving --from Bagels to Burgers, Tacos to Ramen  2019
by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer.

I think the flavor of fennel or anise is very interesting taste.  It pairs well with citrus flavor.  In this dish, the lemon and the chopped greens definitely make the dish!  This is a quick dish to put together. The greens can be prepared while the fennel is cooking.  It smells delish too!  With the beans, it can be a main dish.

Fresh fennel should be bright green with no brown marks on its outer layers.  A tip from this book is that it is delicious raw when thinly sliced or grated.  They also recommend it in a Middle Eastern-inspired salad with lentils.

Ingredients:
1 cup instant couscous
2 fennel bulbs (~ 1 pound each)
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup cooked white beans
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 bunch fresh parsley chopped

Directions:
1) Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil in a small pot.  Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat.  Let sit for 5 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.

2) Trim the stalks from the fennel.  Chop the fennel fronds and set aside.  Quarter the bulbs and cut out the cores.  Cut into slices 1/2 inch thick.

3) Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add the sliced fennel and cook for about 8 minutes, turning over the slices after 4 minutes, until golden brown.

4)  Remove from the heat.  Mix in the beans and let sit in the warm pan for about 3 minutes.

5) Transfer the couscous to a serving bowl and top with the fennel and beans.  Drizzle with the lemon juice and the remaining 3 Tbsp oil.

6)  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with the reserved fennel fronds and the parsley.