Thursday, August 19, 2010

Funky Fennel

There are very few things in the culinary world that I don't like. Among those few are grape leaves, capers, and more recently discovered, fennel. I stumbled upon a salad that had fennel in it and thought, "Why not!". Big mistake. I took one bite of my fennel, heirloom tomatoes and arugula and spit it out. Oh fennel, why do you even exist? But after almost adding Mr. F to my shit list, I reconsidered my decision. Why be so harsh? Why not try to go with the grain instead of against it? I might really like it if it were to be hidden in a glorious soup or au gratin concoction. So I started to do a little research and this is what I discovered:

Fennel, or Foeniculum vulgare, is used as a bulb vegetable and an aromatic herb that has a taste similar to anise. It also has many medicinal uses. It can be used to quiet the hiccups, break up kidney stones, help with nausea and aid digestion.

Interesting...maybe fennel isn't so bad after all.

Time to put down the shit list and get in the kitchen. I have some fennel to cook. While I work on that, why not tell me what foods/seasonings you hate so that maybe I can persuade you change your mind. I'm always up for a culinary challenge!

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