Fennel, what do you do with it?

[GardenStream]

I have been trading garden seeds with people and I got a surprise packet of fennel. I'm trying to decide if I should grow it or pass it along to someone else.

I'm assuming I would get a lot of it if I grew it, so what could I use it for?

[Princess ConsuelaB]

My dd loves to munch on it raw.

It's good thinly sliced in salads.

I like it roasted with chicken, chickpeas, cumin and lime.

[Liquesce]

Bronze fennel or Florence/bulb fennel?

[staceychev]

I cut in in slices and toss with onion and green beans and EVOO, salt, and pepper, then roast all on a cookie sheet. Mmmmm.

[velochic]

It tastes like licorice, which is not a favorite flavor here. But I see a lot of recipes that call for fennel in salads, veggie saute, pasta dishes, and even just roasted. If you like the flavor it can be used raw for fresh, summery recipes and in the winter in soups, stews, casseroles, etc. I do know it's very versatile and many people like it. It just one of the few things we don't eat here, so I don't have any specific methods to offer. I usually substitute parsnips when something calls for fennel.

[BetsyS]

I would pass the seeds along. Fennel is the only food that I don't like. Although, if you garden for beauty, it is a beautiful plant. Just not for eating.

[GardenStream]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

Bronze fennel or Florence/bulb fennel?

It's zefa fina fennel.

[cristeen]

I think that you'll only get one bulb per plant, kinda like carrots or radishes, but I'm not positive.

I don't care for the licorice flavor, but I do like fennel. Roasted is beautiful, sauteed until it's soft and creamy is lovely, or thinly sliced (like paper thin) and tossed with a vinaigrette is quite good. In all of those ways, the licorice flavor is really minimized, and the other flavors are allowed to shine.

[mumkimum]

We also use the fronds to toss on salads or add anywhere you'd want fresh herbs. And it's great added to dishes like italian beans and greens (we like it roasted too).

[kjbrown92]

I thought it was delicious in various stews and roasted veggies. We don't use it anymore because my dd2 is intolerant to it. But for a while there, we were using it a lot. Try it. Expand your horizons.

[athenalove46]

I LOVE adding fennel to my spaghetti sauce. It adds such a wonderful flavor!

[MammaG]

Bouillabaise. Yum!

[Chicky2]

Oh, YUM! We love fennel! We eat it diced up and sauteed w/butter, onion, garlic, mandarin oranges, shrimp, and toss w/pasta!

We love the fronds w/some celery leaves and parsley and lemon slices to make a bed for cooking fish. The bed leaves the fish nice and tasty and moist!

We love oven roasted fennel.

We love it in salads and stir fry!

[redvlagrl]

Fennel soup with lemon oil is great, as is just steaming it and then drizzling with homemade vinaigrette. Or I put shaved garlic between each layer and bake it, covered in the oven, taking the foil off at the end and browning it with some parmesan.

Roasting it is wonderful too and insensifies the flavour.

For a first timer, I would prob steam and serve with the vinaigrette as it is very mild and creamy that way. I loooove fennel!

[Arduinna]

I love fennel, the licorice flavor mellows with roasting. I'm not as big of a fan of it raw but we love it roasted with root vegetables and in gratins

[Poddi]

We love to use fresh fennel with beans. Especially fava beans and fresh soy beans. You can also just stew those seeds and they impart a taste similar to the leaves. I usually just buy a huge bag of it for a couple dollars and it's much more convenient to use and store.

[jeanine123]

If you cook it the licorice taste isn't as pronounced. At least, this is what I've heard, I've never eaten it raw so I can't compare. But I do know that when I cook it I haven't noticed a licorice taste. One recipe I like to use it in is Oven Roasted Cioppino.

[Teetina]

I've heard you can crush the seeds a little bit and then use them to brew fennel tea. I don't care for fennel much though, so I can't say I've tried it.

[punkrockmomma]

I love fennel, but then again I also love licorice and anise. I've been looking for ways to cook it. I've had a hard time finding recipes with fennel bulb in it.

[blueridgewoman]

I chop it up and roast it with eggplant, garlic, salt, pepper, and plenty of olive oil. Yummmm!