I've eaten a lot of fennel this past week. First I tossed together a super simple, fresh and tasty salad. I used my mandolin to thinly slice one fennel bulb and then I tossed in a strainer and thoroughly washed it (the fennel was dirty!). I julienned some raw celeriac I also found at the farmer's market and tossed that together. To add some color I chopped some cilantro and the fennel fronds to go in the salad. I simply dressed the salad with some hazelnut oil, the juice and zest of a very small lemon, a touch of local honey, salt and fresh ground pepper. Not my prettiest salad, but it was so good and so easy.
I've roasted a lot of fennel, it's one of my ingredients to add to a roasted root veggie dish, but I've never sauteed fennel. The other night I chopped some red spring onions and sauteed in walnut oil and then added my mandolined, extra scrubbed fennel and caramelized. I added in the greens from the spring onions, salt and pepper, a little bit of lemon juice and after I served it I topped with some fennel fronds and lemon zest. Great side to go along with the local Italian sausage I got in my CSA and some delicious ravioli. Yum!
If you can get your hands on some fennel, do it! Roasted, raw, sauteed, it's all good.
I love fennel too. Today I went out to see if the half bed of it has sprouted yet, but no luck. Sigh. I know it grows wild all around the Bay Area; do you have it in LA too?
ReplyDeleteWe have them here in Topanga, I haven't noticed them elsewhere in LA, but then again, I haven't looked hard because my love affair with fennel has only been going for the last few years. I saw it a lot when we were camping up in Ojai Valley a few weeks ago and took some home with me. But the wild stuff isn't the same as florence fennel, though I'm sure you already know that. No tasty bulb-my favorite part.
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