Ingredient Spotlight: All About Fennel with Chef Shane Delia

Fennel, you’ve may pass it daily in the produce section, but do you know truly what it is, how to choose it, and how to use it?  Surprisingly many foodies and laypeople alike are a bit intimidated by this gorgeous feathery green herb.  Fear not!  Savory Tv is here to help with all you need to know.

Fennel is a light green perennial bulb with stalks similar to celery, feather like thready  green leaves, and flowers.  The flowers produce the seeds that you commonly see in spice bottles.   All of the parts are edible, and the seeds have a distinct anise or licorice type flavor, while the bulbs, stalks, and leaves are a bit more subtle.  A close relation to dill, parsley, and carrots,  fennel contains a significant source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, and several minerals.

In cooking, often the stalks or stems are used in soups or stocks.  The bulbs can be cooked in any number of ways, braised, grilled, sauteed etc., as well as eaten raw.  Braised fennel pairs particularly well with fish or seafood dishes. The tender dill like leaves (sometimes referred to as fronds) can be used as an herb seasoning for almost anything, including meats, seafood, veggies, dressings, dips and sauces.  Fennel can be frozen or dried, but it will lose a large amount of its aromatic flavor in the process, so it’s always a wiser choice to consume it fresh.

How to choose, slice, and prepare it?  We have a great video with Melbourne Chef Shane Delia that will show you how.

 

We leave you with one last random fennel fact:  In Greek mythology, Atlas’s brother Prometheus, who was a titan, stole fire from Zeus to give to mortals, hiding the fire sparks in a giant stalk of fennel.  In true mythical form, that of course generated huge torturous paybacks from Zeus!   Read the full drama here.