Tip - Fennel

10 things to make with Fennel

Category: Food
Date: 6/23/99 / The Gaston Gazette

By Cathy Thomas - Freedom News Service

Fresh fennel can be a cooking conundrum. Sometimes the supermarkets 
label it "anise" or "sweet anise." But it's not. Sometimes, because 
of its feathery, dark green tops, folks think it's dill. But it's 
not. No wonder fennel rookies are confused.

Often hiding between the leeks and the cabbage, it's the 
green-tinged-but-almost-white bulb with celery-like stalks sprouting 
in spoke-like fashion at the top. The stalks are adorned with 
delicate, fern-like, dark green leaves.

It might look a little wacky, but once you've eaten fennel and 
savored its gentle sweet flavor, reminiscent of mild licorice, you'll 
never be misled by erroneous labels again.

Its subtle taste is seductive. Habit-forming.

But then there's the fennel-trimming mystery to solve. Do those 
frilly tops get pruned? The recipe says to cut it into thin slices, 
but does that include both the stalks and the bulb?

In most cases, it's the fleshy bulb at the base you're after. The 
spunky stems that sprout at the top of the bulb (that look like 
rounded stalks of celery) are stringy and can be tough. I prefer to 
use the stalks for flavoring broths and sauces, straining and 
discarding them after long, slow simmering. Reserve the fragrant 
greenery at the top of the stalks (this is the part that is mistaken 
for dill) for a garnish or a last-minute flavor enhancer.

Fennel Trimming 101: First remove and discard any browned layers. 
Trim off stalks at the bulb. Trim bottom end (but not too much or the 
layers will come apart) and discard. To cut into strips, cut the bulb 
in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down; cut in half lengthwise 
again. (You'll see a white core in the center; generally it's fairly 
small and doesn't need to be removed, but if it's large, you can cut 
it out with a small paring knife.) Cut into crosswise slices.

The strips can be left whole or diced, depending on how you plan to 
use it. Easy.

Buying knowhow: When selecting fennel, look for well-developed bulbs 
that are crisp with no sign of browning or splitting. The stalks 
should look healthy and the leaves should be bright green and perky, 
not wilted. Refrigerate it in the crisper, wrapped tightly in a 
plastic bag, up to five days (at which point you can trim off the 
stalks and leaves for longer storage). With long storage, there is 
some flavor loss.

Felicitous fennel, raw or cooked: Although it's delicious served raw 
as an appetizer (cut into sticks and served with a dip) or in a 
salad, fennel is enormously versatile when cooked. Called finocchio 
in Italian, or fenouil in French, this aromatic vegetable is an 
essential ingredient in many mouthwatering Mediterranean dishes. In 
France, whole fish are grilled over fennel stalks (for a similar 
effect, oven bake fish over sliced fennel). In Italy, diced fennel is 
used in pasta sauces or steamed and tossed with fresh herbs and a 
simple vinaigrette.

It can be braised, sauteed, baked or steamed. Cooking makes the 
flavors mellow, so often folks who are lukewarm about it raw can be 
wild about it cooked.

Here are 10 fast ways to enjoy it:

1. Tuna surprise: Finely chopped raw fennel gives tuna salad some 
crunch and pizazz; fold in some chopped fennel tops (the part that 
looks like fresh dill) for color. It is especially good for tuna 
melts.

2. Beef stew with style: Long, slow cooking makes wedges of fennel 
tender and tame. This aromatic, vegetable-studded stew fills the 
kitchen with delicious fennel perfume. Recipe follows.

3. Cure for the wintertime blues: A winter salad of mixed greens, 
baby spinach, fennel and sausage is irresistible. Cook Italian 
sausage, either on the grill or in a skillet (brown on all sides, 
then lower heat and cook slowly until completely cooked). Toss a 
mixture of baby lettuces, some baby spinach (the kind that is sold in 
cellophane bags) and oh-so-thinly sliced trimmed fennel with enough 
vinaigrette (two parts olive oil to one part cider vinegar, mixed 
with a little Dijon mustard, salt and pepper) to lightly coat the 
leaves. Place on dinner plates. Cut sausage into bite-size pieces and 
arrange on top. Garnish with shavings of Parmesan cheese.

4. Fennel Couscous, a bed for "broiled anything": Couscous loaded 
with sauteed fennel is delectable topped with broiled fish filets, 
such as salmon. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan on 
medium-high heat; add one large fennel bulb (trimmed and diced) and 
two yellow crookneck squash (diced). Cook until tender-crisp, 
stirring frequently, about four minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth 
and bring to a boil. Stir in salt, pepper and 1 1/3 cups plain 
couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand five minutes. 
Meanwhile, broil four (4-6-ounce) salmon filets until just cooked 
through. Toss couscous with four thinly sliced green onions and some 
roughly chopped fennel leaves. Serve salmon filets on mounds of 
couscous. If desired, top with a fresh tomato relish made by tossing 
six roma tomatoes (diced) with two teaspoons red wine vinegar, two 
tablespoons olive oil, one tablespoon fresh minced oregano and salt 
(to taste).

5. The Ain't-Anise Fennel Salad: You really get the taste of licorice 
in this delicious salad made with raw fennel, apples, pecans and blue 
cheese. In a large bowl, toss one-two large sliced, trimmed fennel 
bulbs, one large, tart, green apple (cored and thinly sliced), three 
cups of bibb lettuce (torn into bite-size pieces), one-fourth cup 
toasted walnuts and 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese. Toss with 
enough olive oil to lightly coat the ingredients. Add one teaspoon 
cider vinegar and garlic salt to taste; toss. Serve immediately.

6. Pasta With Fennel and Olives: Cook 1 1/2 cups farfalle (bowtie 
pasta) until al dente; drain. In a large skillet, saute 1 1/2 cups 
diced fennel in two tablespoons olive oil until tender. Add one-half 
cup pitted imported black olives, such as kalamata or nicoise, a 
pinch of dried red pepper and one teaspoon rice vinegar. Cook until 
heated through. Toss with pasta. Add two tablespoons minced Italian 
parsley, one tablespoon minced fennel tops and salt to taste; toss.

7. Scalloped Fennel and Potatoes: A delectable side dish with ham, 
roast chicken or lamb, that's good enough to be the main event. It 
can be baked one day in advance and cooled completely before being 
chilled, then stored covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room 
temperature and reheat, covered. Recipe follows.

8. Super scoopers: Served crispy-raw, the outer layers of fennel make 
great edible shovels for cold, cheesy dips (blue cheese is a 
favorite). The biggest layers need to be cut in thirds lengthwise. 
Smaller layers can be cut in half.

9. Baked with cheese: For a no-fuss side dish, cut fennel bulbs in 
fourths and place them in a single layer in a baking pan. Dot with 
butter, season with salt and pepper. Pour dry white wine to a 
one-half-inch depth. Cover and bake in a 325-degree oven until 
tender, about 25 minutes. Top with generous shavings of Parmesan 
cheese. Sprinkle with chopped fennel leaves.

10. Cream O'Fennel: Pureed fennel-potato-leek soup is wonderful. 
Simmer two fennel bulbs (diced), two medium leeks (white part only, 
chopped) and one large russet potato (peeled and diced) in six cups 
of chicken broth until veggies are tender (about 30 minutes). Puree 
in batches in food processor fitted with the metal blade or in 
blender. Stir in one-third cup heavy whipping cream; season to taste 
with salt and white pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish each bowl 
with a sprig of fennel leaves.