-By James Mellgren

It seems the world is divided in two; those who like the taste of fennel, and those who don't. I count myself firmly among the former, but this was not always the case. The flavor in fennel that people either love or hate tastes like anise or licorice, neither of which fennel is actually related to. Rather, it belongs to the parsley family (Umbelliferae), a family that also includes celery, a vegetable that is often confused with fennel -- until one tastes it, that is.

I don't remember actually tasting fennel until I was well into my teens; and at first, I found the flavor unsettling. It grew on me, however, and now I am a devoted fan, and we use fennel a great deal in our kitchen. Fennel is very versatile and is delicious either raw or cooked. Out here in California, with our Mediterranean climate, wild fennel grows along many boulevards and, left alone, it gets huge and is quite pretty with its long, feathery dill-like fronds wafting in the breeze. I've never tried to eat one of these huge, wild fennels -- I don't think they develop bulbs in the same way as cultivated fennel -- but they are beautiful to behold. For the table, though, I stick to the ones I can get from the store or the farmers' market. In the case of fennel, as in so many things, bigger is not always better.

The Bulb's the Thing
Cultivated fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is available year-round, but its natural season is in the spring and early summer, and it can flower throughout the fall. Bulb fennel, or the type found in the supermarket, is often called Florence or Florentine fennel, probably because it is so popular in Italy where it is called finocchio. Unlike its close cousin celery, fennel is more prized for the bulbous mass at the base of the stalks than for the stalks themselves. This is not the root despite the fact that, as it grows, the bulb is usually kept under the soil, blanching the green from it, similar to how white asparagus is cultivated. Rather, it is the lower ends of the stems that are tightly layered into a ball that ranges in size from that of a baseball to a softball. Fennel is also not anywhere near as ubiquitous as celery although it is becoming more so all the time, especially as chefs continue to make it a featured ingredient on their menus. The original wild fennel plants were native to Southern Europe but it has become so firmly implanted (pun intended) here, that all fennel available in markets today is grown domestically. It is so abundant, there is simply no need to import it. Fennel has always been better known and used in Europe and throughout the Mediterranean region, especially in Italy, where it is commonly eaten raw as a snack dipped in olive oil. It is also common to find it sliced very thin as a component of a salad or chopped up fine in pasta sauces. Fennel can be braised, grilled, baked, pickled or deep fried. The stalks are wonderful as flavoring agents for other foods, particularly fish. In fact, fish can be grilled or baked on top of fennel stalks; or, better yet, the fennel stalks can be skewered through whole fish and then grilled. Additionally, the wispy fronds can be used as a garnish or added to dishes for flavor. If all that weren't enough to convince one of the versatility of fennel, it can also supplant celery in just about everything one would use celery for, such as tuna salad or in casseroles, adding its distinctive licorice-y tang to all kinds of recipes.

Cooking With Fennel
Besides being delicious raw, fennel lends itself to a variety of cooking methods. One of my favorites is braising. Braising, cooking the fennel in a small amount of liquid, can be done on top of the stove or in the oven. We like to use an oval enameled cast iron pot (ours is Le Creuset) on the stovetop, and sometimes we use a ceramic oval baker in the oven. This is also a great way to cook celery, by the way. Trim off the stalks just above the bulb, wash the bulb in cold water, and cut it into halves or quarters, as you wish. You can retain the stalks for grilling purposes and the fronds for garnish if you wish. I usually send them directly to the compost. Lay the fennel in the baker, drizzle generously with good olive oil and pour in about an inch of either water or chicken stock (don't use too much liquid; we're not making soup, after all). We typically add a few knobs of butter and a squeeze of a whole lemon, plus salt and freshly ground black pepper (Alice Waters, in her book Chez Panisse Vegetables, suggests adding some ground fennel seed and chopped up fennel leaves. I've never tried it that way but I intend to). Cover and cook over medium heat on the stove or at about 350º F in the oven until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. This is a great side dish to go with chicken, fish and pork, or as an entrée at a meatless repast.

Another favorite way to enjoy fennel, especially when they are young and sweet in the early summer, is in a fennel and orange salad. You'll see many variations on this classic Mediterranean salad but this is our favorite version. Cut away the stalks and fronds as above, and wash well in cold water. Cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. If the core is particularly tough, take it out. With a mandoline, slice the fennel into very thin slices. For the orange, we like to use either blood oranges or sometimes grapefruit. If you use regular oranges, find the sweetest, juiciest ones you can. We also like to add pitted black olives and sliced red onion, and sometimes chopped walnuts. You can compose the salad individually on salad plates or place the whole thing in a salad bowl and toss. Either way, layer the fennel, the orange slices, the olives and the sliced red onion, and dress with liberal amounts of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. This salad is terrific on its own but you can enhance it further by putting it on a bed of baby lettuce.

Here's an idea for a wonderful fennel soup, adapted from Melissa's Great Book of Produce by Cathy Thomas (from the folks at Melissa's World Variety Produce). Chop up a couple of fennel bulbs, two leeks (white part only) and a large, peeled russet potato. Simmer everything in six cups of chicken broth, vegetable broth or plain water until all the vegetables are tender, again about 20 minutes. Puree in a blender in small batches or use an immersion blender. Melissa's recommends adding cream or half & half to make a richer version. Finish each bowl with salt and white pepper, and some crumbled bacon.

Fennel is such a delicious and healthful vegetable that I hope more people will experiment with it in their kitchens. Highlighting it in your prepared foods case will bring more attention to this vegetable that is so highly regarded throughout Europe. Although I love celery, it seems to me sometimes that fennel is what celery aspires to be. It's not a bad goal, in my mind.

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