Sunday, February 06, 2022

Fennel 101: One of my favorites!

This is fennel. Isn't it beautiful?  I really, really love fennel!  It has a mild licorice flavor, and I am a huge licorice fan.  Fennel is great alone but also a wonderful addition to salads, roasted with other vegetables, sauteed with fish dishes, and a lovely addition to tomato & sausage dishes...the list goes on.  Here is a little primer on how to prepare fennel. 

Chop off the stalks --these are edible but better used in stocks or the feathery leaves can be used as a garnish.  The bulb is what we are interested in here.

Next, rinse the bulb under cold water to remove any dirt.  Cut the ends off and peel away the first layer of the bulb if it has any brown spots.
Cut out the core which is tough.
The bulbs have been cored and are ready to be sliced.