Fear Not, Sweet Fennel

No matter how you serve it, be it braised, roasted, sautéed, grilled, or raw, fennel is versatility at its finest. From seed to stalk, the entire vegetable is edible. It’s an excellent source of vitamins A and C, calcium, and fiber, and it aids digestion and sweetens the breath. From salad to soup, baked with fish, or slow roasted with lamb, fennel can do it all. Yet, strangely, it remains one of the more misunderstood and under-appreciated vegetables of western cooking.

A member of the Umbellifereae family that includes parsley, carrots, dill, and coriander, wild, sweet fennel is often recognized by its height, growing up to seven feet tall.  The common variety sold in markets, known as Florence fennel, has a large whitish bulb with dill like leaves. Its texture is crisp like celery and its aromatic flavor, slightly sweet, is reminiscent of licorice or anise.

Indigenous to the Mediterranean region, (dating as far back as Ancient Greece), fennel pairs well with olive oil, garlic, lemon, tomatoes, olives, fish, and pork. For a fresh bite, enjoy it sliced thin in a salad with citrus and olives. Alternatively, roast it with squash, tomatoes, and eggplants for a warm, savory dish. The Pizzeria Primastrata offers the Ceci E Tonno salad of chickpeas, tuna conserva, fennel, and red onion with saffron vinaigrette. Zambris often has fennel on the menu. Currently, they have an antipasto of Angus beef “crudo” with truffled mayonnaise, shaved fennel, and horseradish. Another popular use of fennel is to prepare it in a seafood broth with tomatoes, where its delicate flavor is enhanced. Camille’s pairs braised fennel with Quadra Island Honey Mussels and preserved tomatoes.

Still undecided about the licorice flavor myself, but curious to experiment (fennel grows like a weed in my garden), I decided to try roasting it with artichokes. I was pleasantly surprised how the flavor mellowed and the texture softened to become much more subtle. Sprinkled with a little rock salt and coarse pepper, a zest of lemon, some fresh grated parmesan on top, it was perfecto. With a year-round growing season, fennel is usually available at most markets and stores. The average price is around $2.99 per pound.

Rich in history, versatility, and health properties, fennel wears many hats. Ancient myths state that knowledge was carried down to man by the gods in a stalk of fennel. With that kind of reputation, I’m much more inclined to sprinkle some on my salad, or toss a bit into my soup. Perhaps Henry Wadsworth Longfellow captures the essence of fennel best in his poem:

Fresh fennel

The Goblet of Life

[…] Above the lowly plants it towers,
The fennel, with its yellow flowers,
And in an earlier age than ours
Was gifted with the wondrous powers,
Lost vision to restore.

It gave new strength, and fearless mood;
And gladiators, fierce and rude,
Mingled it in their daily food;
And he who battled and subdued,
A wreath of fennel wore.

Recipe for Roasted Fennel and Artichokes:

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb cut into ¾” wedges

1 tbsp. fronds reserved for garnish

1 can whole artichoke hearts in water, drained, patted dry and cut in half lengthwise

3 tbsp. olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

2-3 tbsp. fresh grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange fennel and artichokes on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbsp. oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables until caramelized on both sides, about 35 minutes, tossing after 20 minutes. Drizzle with remaining oil and the lemon juice. Add parsley and parmesan and toss to combine. Garnish with fennel fronds.