We had a dinner party for 8 over the weekend and served pork as the main course with a very cool eggplant Parmesan and a fennel and grape bread that I’ll give you the recipe for now and the others later this week.

Oh, I did start them off with the little appetizer stimulator we had at Solas’ the night before. All I did was cut a fig in half, top it with a little blue cheese and drizzled a little Pomegranate Merlot that I got at ClubSauce.com. I’m not sure if they are even make it any more but you could use any brand of Pomegranate drizzle or even try an aged balsamic vinegar.

I went to Club Sauce and didn’t see the Pomegranate Merlot but they do have an interesting Saba that would work. Saba was popular with the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks over 5,000 years ago so this stuff has staying power.

Fennel and Grape Harvest Bread
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

1-½ cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)
2 envelops active dry yeast
3-½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups red seedless grapes, stemmed, rinsed
10 tablespoons sugar
1-teaspoon fennel seeds

Prep the Ingredients

Since you are making 2 separate loafs, you will want to divide the ingredients into two except for the water, yeast and olive oil.

How to Make at Home

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