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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Fennel



Sure, I've seen fennel in the store plenty of times. It's that stuff that looks like a giant dill plant with all of those feathery frondish leaves.


When rinsed and wet, those leaves make me think of seaweed.


Fennel dries quickly, so you can get on with preparing it for your recipe.

Don't ask me why I chopped off the fennel top tops. They weren't brown or weird in any way. I guess I like to square things up.

Chopped fennel tops from one bulb will give you


about one cup, which is exactly what I need for the next recipe.

And let me tell you, the fennel when cut is very aromatic and smells fantastic.

I don't go out of my way to buy organic, preferring to buy local if possible. And I'm not strict about that -- today's local could mean food from within the country versus another. This fennel is both organic and produced in CA.


If you're interested, here's a few words from Deborah Madison and her take on buying organic.

Looking fennel up in my Larousse Gastronomique, I find:
An aromatic umbelliferous plant of Mediterranean origin, which is now widely cultivated. It is a hardy perennial which grows to 1.2-1.5 m (4-5 ft) high. The feathery leaves and seeds have a slight aniseed flavour and are used in a variety of recipes. The leaves are also used as a garnish.
Fennel available in the produce section of Ralph's for $1.47/0.49 lb.


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