Fennel

[lala]

I just adore fennel. First time I had it was in Edinbourgh, with scallops as an appetizer. Loved it so much, I had it again for dessert.

Shaved, with parmesan, evoo and orange sections, poached, braised, roasted...mmmmm...

[Abra]

Me too on all of the above, except I love black licorice as well as fennel. Fennel stalks and fronds make a killer addition to the aromatics when making turkey or chicken broth. And fennel pollen is one of my all-time favorite seasonings. Try a fennel pollen cream sauce on pasta - yum!

[Redsugar]

All of the suggestions in the responses are admirable. I salute your appetites!

bloviatrix: Yes, fennel is wonderfully aromatic & flavorful when oven-roasted with turnip, rutabaga, and celeriac.

Abra: I second your "yum!" for using fennel in a cream sauce (with mushrooms, please) for pasta. Fettuccine loves fennel.

Johnnyd: Let's add some orange sections & arugula to your chicken salad. Would be a succulent accompaniment to the pasta dish.

Also, sliced fennel bulb is very suitably partnered to make a slaw with roasted red & yellow peppers.

[chardgirl]

And a lovely fennel photo at the top of our fennel recipe page:

Fennel Photo/Recipes

Edited November 16, 2004 by chardgirl (log)

[Malawry]

Fennel is great in a slaw, too.

I like to pull the water out of it by shaving it, tossing it with salt and a touch of sugar, then rinse and drain. Use as a bed for grilled meat.

Then there's fennel-tomato compote:

Onions, very thinly sliced

Olive oil

Sea salt and white pepper

Fennel, very thinly sliced

Chicken stock

Tomato concasse

Bouquet garni

Sweat down onions in plenty of olive oil. Season. When softened, add fennel. Soften fennel briefly. Add remaining ingredients and plenty of seasoning. Bring to a boil on the stove and then cover with a cartouche (parchment paper circle). Bake in a moderate oven until completely softened and melted down, about 45 minutes. Stir periodically to prevent sticking. Garnish with fennel fronds.

[Behemoth]

My favorite combinations:

roasted fennel with serrano ham

fennel and tomato sauce or soup

raw fennel with black olives and orange slices

raw fennel with black olives and preserved lemons

grilled fennel & fish with lemon

Now that I think about it, 8 out of my last 10 dinner parties included a fennel dish...

[beccaboo]

I like fennel-grapefruit salad: Thinly sliced fennel, soaked in ice water then drained, pink grapefruit, optional olives (whatever kind you like), lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper.

[Chufi]

2/3 fennel very thinly sliced and 1/3 onions very thinly sliced, caramelized very slowly in olive oil. I use this as a pastasauce (it gets kind of sweet so I sometimes add some salty black olives and lots of grated pecorino).

Or the same mixture can be used to make a quiche.

I also love the combination of fennel and a good blue cheese.

[Redsugar]

And a lovely fennel photo at the top of our fennel recipe page: Fennel Photo/Recipes

Chardgirl: Thank you for the link to a very befitting page!

[Jinmyo]

Indespensible in my Chicken Salads.

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Ah, nice.

I often make a fennel pesto with the stalks and fronds along with grated parm reg and toasted walnuts.

Applications include crostini, as a dab atop a roasted fennel bisque, pizza, with fish roasted atop fennel bulb etc.

[NulloModo]

I need to give Fennel another go. I got quite into it around nine month s ago, then managed to chop off the tip of my finger while dicing some for a dish of tripe. Since then I can't look at a bulb without cringing... still, I know it wasn't really the Fennel's fault...

[nessa]

The first and only time I've used fennel in cooking, I made a chicken stock-mushroom-fennel-leek soup. I'm hooked. More fennel next time.

I recall back when I was a wee thing in the 70's, Mom would take us on walks around San Fransisco, and we would pick the top parts off of fennel everywhere!

Love the stuff!

[frdagaa]

Ever grow fennel in the garden? Mine hasn't really formed bulbs well, just tends to be more stalky. I've heard about "male" and "female' fennel, that the female version has a rounder bulb, but I've also read that the female/male thing is bogus kitchen lore. I tend to disbelieve the mlae/female thing because the fennel seemed to go through stages where there was more of a bulb at one point but then I let it continue growing and it became stalky. Not to mention that enough of my college botany rattles around in my brain making me wary of such notions.

I made a fennel, onion and apple topping--kind of a chutney--for some gorgeous pork chops the other day. Great.

[mrbigjas]

i had a bunch of fennel stalks left over one night when i used the bulbs for a specific recipe, and i washed them then threw them in a jar and covered with vodka. yeah, a fennel-infused vodka. it's been sitting here about a month now; i reckon i should check on it again.

[Kevin72]

Ever grow fennel in the garden?  Mine hasn't really formed bulbs well, just tends to be more stalky. 

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I think the kind you grow is more for ornamental or herbal purposes. I have one in a pot that grows pretty healthy each spring, dies off in the summer heat, then throws up another stalk the following spring again. My mom's had much better luck in her garden and has big, billowy fronds in one corner. Also gets her's to flower, so you get the benefit of the fennel pollen.

[helenas]

pan roasted tonight:

[pam claughton]

pan roasted tonight:

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What a beautiful picture, I can almost taste the fennel.

My favorite way is to use it is in soup, especially escarole, white bean soup with Italian sausage, which has fennel in it, and I usually add a bit more. It's easy to whip up at home, and is delicious, low-fat comfort food. Here's the recipe I use,

http://efoodie.typepad.com/efoodie/2005/03...ole_soup_w.html

Pam

Edited September 14, 2005 by pam claughton (log)

[greenwich st]

Yes, Helenas, very aromatic shot!

For years one of my regular dinner dishes was Richard Onley's Chicken Legs with Fennel from Simple French Food. Sauteed drumsticks and parboiled fennel separately sauteed with unpeeled garlic cloves, all deglazed with white and finished in the oven.

[kristin_71]

I have two beautiful fennel plants in my garden and they are now huge. The plants have started to flower, and I figure the seeds will not be too far behind. I know to cut the flowers/seeds and put them into a bag to save the seeds. I need to know what to do with the leafy green though. Can it be cut and dried? Do I pull the bulb out now ( fennel is a biannual after all, so do I pull it now or wait until next year?) I don't want to let any of this beautiful plant go to waste and I just love the taste of it in food. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Edited September 20, 2006 by kristin_71 (log)

[Ohba]

Last weekend, I had some fennel plants to get rid of, and they went very well with lentils. After boiling the lentils and adding them to onion and garlic softened in a small amount of butter, the chopped greens were added. It was purely an experiment, but I think the flavours go very nicely together. It might look like a big amount of greens, but fennels use up a lot of air and after chopping, it won't be nearly as much. Even with about a quarter or third of greens to lentils, the aniseed flavour of the greens didn't overpower the dish. I'd make it again, but I haven't got any plants left now.

If you've got any "bulb" at the bottom, you can slice it thinly and add it raw to salads. Get rid of any outer parts that look fibrous, first.

[Catriona]

Roast the "bulb", sliced or in segments, possibly with some balsamic vinegar if you want.

Or fennel and apple salad.

[Franci]

For the bulb: slice very thin with a mandoline, salt, tons of black pepper and good extravirgin oil. It's addictive.

The outside fibrous parts of the bulb are very good for stock (especially fumet) or you could use for a veloute' (pass it with the chinoise).

The fronds could be used as decoration or even added to cooking (I don't like them very much, pour substitute of wild fennel)

[FabulousFoodBabe]

The bulb, sliced thin and pickled, will keep forever in your refrigerator. You can add a saffron thread if you want; added to salads, sides, sandwiches, or straight from the brine.

I use the stalks for vegetable stock. (Stalk, stock. I didn't even plan that one! )

[kristin_71]

So I can pull the bulb now? I just planted it this year. Anyone know if I can freeze the leaves to use during the winter? I think I will pull the stalks out and use them for stock. That is a great idea! I appreciate all your ideas. This was my first year with fennel and I just love it.

[markabauman]

Salad with the fennel sliced very thin (mandoline helps), black olives, thin sliced red onion, blood oranges, if in season, otherwise navels work ok. Optional: crumbled goat cheese, roasted beets. Dress with good extra-virgin olive oil, little bit of the left-over citrus juice.