Fennel

[liuzhou]

Coincidentally, this was one of the topics raised in BBC Radio 4's "The Kitchen Cabinet" yesterday. Some good suggestions. The podcast can be downloaded or listened to here.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I had never heard of male and female fennel, however when I was in the grocery store today clearly some were more round and some elongated. Who would have thought? I brought home a girl for dinner. To go with my hamburger, which I dropped (raw) onto my toes, and thence into the rug, I made coleslaw using about two thirds cabbage one third fennel. The coleslaw was quite satisfactory, but in truth I doubt I could taste the fennel.

I think I'll braise the rest. CIA's The Professional Chef has an interesting recipe for seafood braised with fennel and saffron. Saffron I have but unfortunately no seafood.

[scubadoo97]

A fennel-orange salad is incredible! I just picked a recipe at random; there are many.

http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=458&S=0

ETA: the fronds are a wonderful garnish to the salad, or to cooked fish, whatever.

It's a common pairing for me. Citrus and fennel are perfect together Edited August 17, 2013 by heidih
Fix quote tags (log)

[Kerry Beal]

One of my favourite fennel recipes was from Lee Bailey's Soup Meals - thin slices of fennel broiled with pancetta, olive oil, lime and parmesan. Garnished with roasted red pepper and black olives.

[Chris Hennes]

My fennel is finally big enough to harvest the bulbs, so tonight for dinner we a fennel and tomato sauced pasta from Bugiali on Pasta. I might have gone a little heavy on the red pepper flakes, but otherwise the dish was a nice tweak to a simple tomato sauce. The recipe is just fennel and tomato stewed together and then pureed and finished with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano that have been warmed in a bit of olive oil.

[Okanagancook]

I have that cookbook.  Just a great book.  I can't get my fennel to grow here so it will have to be store bought for me.  Not the same.  Good job.

[MaryIsobel]

I've always been proud that both my daughters are good cooks and interested in food. We regularly share what we cooked or intersting recipes. One daughter's mother-in-law ended up taking over the Thanksgiving meal at my daughters home (long, complicated story.) Anyway, got a text from my daughter today with a picture of part of a fennel bulb, stalks and fronds, asking, what is this? Is it a leek? I was going to attach a screen shot of the text but for some reason I can't upload photos. Doesn't matter - the jist is that she had no idea what fennel is. I make a fennel/potato gratin now and then and always put it in bouilabaisse, but I guess she has never seen it in the raw.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

I've always been proud that both my daughters are good cooks and interested in food. We regularly share what we cooked or intersting recipes. One daughter's mother-in-law ended up taking over the Thanksgiving meal at my daughters home (long, complicated story.) Anyway, got a text from my daughter today with a picture of part of a fennel bulb, stalks and fronds, asking, what is this? Is it a leek? I was going to attach a screen shot of the text but for some reason I can't upload photos. Doesn't matter - the jist is that she had no idea what fennel is. I make a fennel/potato gratin now and then and always put it in bouilabaisse, but I guess she has never seen it in the raw.

 

Last time I bought fennel the clerk at Shoprite was stumped.  I told him it would called either anise or fennel.  He asked the man in line behind me.  "I would call it fennel."  He asked another clerk.  Not entirely believing us he called over someone from the front office who told him it was listed as anise.