Fennel Pollen in Vancouver

[bgood]

I've gotten hooked on Mario Batali's recipe for chicken under a brick in his Italian Grilling book and have exhausted the supply of Fennel Pollen I picked up in Portland.

I checked at Gourmet Warehouse yesterday and they are out of stock and having problems sourcing it.

Has anyone seen it in Vancouver?

[kayswv]

I've gotten hooked on Mario Batali's recipe for chicken under a brick in his Italian Grilling book and have exhausted the supply of Fennel Pollen I picked up in Portland.

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I'm sorry I can't help with where to find it in Vancouver but I would like to know where you found it in Portland? I am headed there next month and would like to pick some up as I can't locate it here. Tried in Italy in April but we were too far North and it is a Southern Italy seasoning. Was surprised to learn that.

Thanks,

Kay

[bgood]

The store in Portland is In Good Taste (231 NW 11th Ave). It's in the Pearl district about a block form Sur La Table.

That's interesting about the Southern Italian angle, I always thought it was Tuscan.

[kayswv]

The store in Portland is In Good Taste (231 NW 11th Ave). It's in the Pearl district about a block form Sur La Table.

That's interesting about the Southern Italian angle, I always thought it was Tuscan.

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Thanks a lot. Hope you find it in Vancouver.

Kay

[KarenDW]

fennel is pretty easy to grow in the Vancouver region. The plant does well with milder temperatures, although if our "summer" stays warm and dry, the fennel will "bolt" and make flowers (and therefore pollen) much more quickly.

[kermie]

i'm growing fennel right now in my garden, but have never heard of using the pollen. Can you tell me how to use it and how to harvest it?

[bgood]

I'm not sure how to harvest it but it is great as part of a rub for grilled chicken. I got the idea from Mario Batali's Italian Grill, Pollo all Mattone (chicken under a brick). He also has a recipe for rolling balls of ricotta in the fennel pollen but I wasn't so keen on that one.

[HKDave]

i'm growing fennel right now in my garden, but have never heard of using the pollen.  Can you tell me how to use it and how to harvest it?

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How to harvest: once the fennel flowers, cut the stems off at the base, put the flowered stems upside down inside a paper bag with the top of the bag tied closed around the base of the stems, and hang the bag somewhere dry. Give the bag a light shake occasionally, and after a couple of weeks, the pollen will have fallen to the bottom of the bag. You need a lot of flowers to produce a measurable amount of pollen; don't bother if you only have a few plants.

I like it best on roast pork (like inside a rolled shoulder, porchetta style), but it also goes well with chicken, rabbit and white fish.

[plunk]

You can buy fennel pollen from Mikuni Wild Harvest. They're a restaurant supplier but are open to open to the public, by appointment only, and if you purchase $100 or more. Not at all difficult, it's like being a kid in a candy store. Wicked fun to browse, though the quantities for some things can be a bit large for home use.

http://www.mikuniwildharvest.com

http://www.vanmag.com/foodanddrink/07jun/Food.shtml

The Vancouver Magazine article has a typo in Mikuni's address, it's 8750 Aisne St.

Edited August 11, 2008 by plunk (log)

[bgood]

That's great! I've been looking for an excuse to check these guys out. I'm going to call them tomorrow.

Pollo al Mattone on the weekend!