Braised Fennel

When my wife and I were dating—she was an American student in Dublin at the time—we used to often cook elaborate meals together, drinking a glass of wine or two as we worked. Now, dinner preparation begins with one of us saying frantically, “Who’s making dinner?! Quick! The kids are starving!” But back in the day, during one of our leisurely courtship rituals, I was involved in something complicated—I don’t recall, wrapping a beef tenderloin in pastry or something else I’d never do now—whil