What's Fun about Fennel? by Jenny Pena

What’s fun about fennel? 

And how to prepare it

by Jenny Pena

 

Each vegetable delivery is like Christmas in the summer, because I love to discover what new or strange vegetable I may be getting and always enjoy researching information and recipes. For this week’s delivery, I used kohlrabi cut as sticks with some ranch dressing to enjoy as a midafternoon snack; I used peppermint to add some twist to homemade lemonade; Fresh herbs to season a whole chicken to cook in the air fryer and prepare chicken salad for lunches and bones to make homemade bone broth or stock. Now, fennel…I have to admit it has been a struggle for me to find ways to enjoy it. So, let’s explore what can we do with this not well appreciated vegetable (at least in my household).

 

According to Eating Well Magazine (see link here - https://www.eatingwell.com/article/2058781/what-is-fennel-and-how-can-i-use-it/), fennel is an aromatic vegetable related to carrots and parsley. It can be eaten as part of a salad but also part of stews and soups. This 47-seconds video from Marta Stewart on YouTube shows how to cut a fennel bulb (See link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XaV8OV3oI0), which surprisingly I didn’t know how to do. The great thing about fennel (besides its particular flavor profile) is that it is a three-part vegetable; fronds can be used for salads, dips and pesto while the stalk can be used for stocks and stews while the bulb is crunchy and versatile since you can eat it raw in salads or pan fried. 

 

Kitchen Stories has some great pictures as well as flavor pairing recommendations:

https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/everything-you-need-to-know-about-preparing-and-storing-in-season-fennel

 

Now what I ended up doing after searching for ways to incorporate fennel into this week’s meals, and since my beloved kohlrabi was my snack of choice with ranch dressing, I went for a sweet potato and fennel hash that was easy and quick to make and delicious even reheated. I had it as a side dish for dinner with some steak and leftovers were great as a hearty breakfast with eggs. See recipe I followed here - https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/229887/sweet-potato-and-fennel-hash/

 

Hopefully this post will give you enough motivation not just to join a CSA but to experiment with fennel whether it comes as part of your weekly delivery or if you stumbled across it at a farmer’s market or local store.

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA?  Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html