Key Ingredient
It is often mistaken for a kind of celery because of its individual stalks, however, fennel is far from your average stalk of celery. The bulb exudes an aromatic, licorice quality that can be enjoyed either raw in salads or cooked into an elegant vegetable gratin.Fennel's light green, feathery fronds resemble those of dill, with an anise quality, and have been used for centuries to season fish.
The basics: Fennel is a member of the parsley family and is native to the Mediterranean. There are two kinds. Florence fennel, finocchio in Italian, has a bulbous base. Common fennel has no bulb, but yields the greenish-brown fennel seeds that are basic to curries, sausages and even liqueurs.
Selecting: Fennel is available from late fall through spring. Choose white, crisp-looking bulbs with no browning. If fronds are attached, they should be fresh and green, not wilted or discolored. Rounder bulbs are known to be more tender than the flatter ones.
Storing: Refrigerate in a plastic bag up to five days.
Use: Fennel can be enjoyed raw in salads and antipasto dishes with a light dressing or dip, but is best enjoyed roasted, braised, grilled or sautéed. Cut off the base where the stalks and bulb meet and remove any tough outer stalks. Reserve the leaves for garnish or seasoning. Pull apart the remaining stalks and chop into wedges for use in sautés, or leave the bulb whole for blanching and roasting. After whole bulbs are blanched for about 10 minutes, drain and brush with olive oil. Cut lengthwise into slices and arrange in a pan for roasting or grill over a hibachi for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh lemon wedges.
Where to buy: Fennel is commonly found in the produce section of supermarkets, although it is sometimes mistakenly labeled as anise. The bulbs run about $2.99-$3.99 a pound and normally weigh an average of half a pound to a pound with the stalks attached.
Food Stuffs: Morsels
Contact Eleanor Nakama-Mitsunaga
online at features@starbulletin.com
Asterisk (*) after nutritional analyses
indicates calculations by
Joannie Dobbs of Exploring New Concepts,
a nutritional consulting firm.
