Fun with Fennel

I came upon fennel for the first time in an unlikely place: a rabbi’s refridgerator. I was house-sitting. A note on the kitchen counter said, “Eat everything perishable!” and following their commandment, I tried–but fennel had me stumped. I’d never grown it–never cooked it–and never, as far as I knew, had it in a meal. So I turned to an old friend, the Moosewood Cookbook.

Fennel, as it turns out, is awesome. For starters, you can use both tops and bottoms, which always endears a plant to my heart. When raw, the bulb is deliciously wholesome and crunchy, and the soft leaves will make a salad, tea or your breath fresh and sweet. Once I’d found the handsomest recipe and set it on the stove, I started to read up a bit more on this gentle herb. As the bulb simmered in a sauce of orange juice and minced ginger, I learned that fennel is the only plant in its genus (Foeniculum) and a perennial (less work for all you gardeners!) and was once called, in Greek, “marathon.” Although no fennel grows in that famous city now, perhaps when the battle was fought and the lone soldier sent off running to announce the outcome, the field he sprinted through was full of fennel, brushing at his calves and releasing the same rich licorice smell now rising up from my pan.

Growing fennel is easily done, and it can be harvested as a whole plant or let to grow out over its second year. If you do allow it to bolt, you can also harvest the seeds and save them as a spice.  You can also buy fresh fennel bulbs at market–and now is the time; I picked some up from Kira just yesterday.

For my recipe, read on!Fennel a la Moosewood (the “adapted” version)

In a pan, heat a small amount of butter (I heat the pan, then run a stick quickly around to grease)

Add 2 tablespoons (one “knob”) of freshly minced ginger

Add 1 bulb fennel, cleaned and cut (as one would an onion into rings). Stir with a wooden spoon to coat the fennel with butter and ginger.

If desired, add a pinch of tumeric, garam masala, or other spices, to taste.

Add 1/2 cup orange juice, turning head down to simmer, not burn.

If desired, add salt and black pepper to taste. We also added fresh fennel greens and on the side, a spoonful of banana flavored organic yogurt.