Earlier in the thread someone mentioned Jack’s recipe for Bread, Bean and Fennel Stew. I don’t know who or the context because it is Sunday morning and long term readers will know what happened since I read it. Anyway I was intrigued because I love fennel and it isn’t an ingredient I’ve seen Jack use much. I read the intro and thought it was odd even by Jack’s standards that you could replace a vegetable with a teaspoon of sugar and any old dried herb. I was even more surprised that she only wanted 1/2 a teaspoon. It was fennel seed. She never mentions this. Furthermore, 1 tin of beans, 1 tin of tomatoes and 2 thin slices of cheap bread served 4. A group of friends ‘devoured with gusto’ a bowl of 1/4 of a tin of tomatoes, 1/4 of a tin of baked beans, half a slice of white bread, a tiny amount of vegetable stock, 1/8th of a teaspoon of fennel (seeds; I’m going to measure this later but it’s maybe 2?) and 1/4 of a teaspoon of lemon juice.
I think this might be my aneurysm. I’ve committed to the kidney bean and pineapple thing now but I might change my mind and do this.