Fennel?

[GrahamCracker]

Anybody use this? I see them cooking with it on food network all the time, and I dont understand why anyone would want to use the flavor of licorice to enhance their food. Am I missing something?

 

[GakFoo]

it depends on what you use it with and how you cook it. I use fennel seed in one of my spaghetti sauce recipes. it adds a very unique taste to the sauce, but not like licorice at all.

 

[threesheets]

Awesome when used correctly in Italian cooking.

 

[IRC]

Only the seed is licorice-y.

The bulbs and fronds are quite sweet and mild.

 

[po elvis]

when i make my italian sausage pizza in goes in there. not sure what it does, but it tastes damn good.

 

[MaximumBarnes]

I put crushed fennel seeds in my sausage and peppers recipe. It's good.

 

[bozo_casanova]

I use it for a fantastic soup that features kale, sausage and tortillini. One of these days I will post it here.

 

[Stove Top]

Fennel bulb is used in a classic bouillabaisse recipe.

 

[stay off my farm]

almost all italian sausage on pizza toppings has fennel.

and here is a little NPR take on Fennel:
Fennel

 

[threesheets]

I was eating at Buca di Beppo with some people from work one night, and this jackass I don't much care for says, "What the hell? I just bit into something that tasted like licorice."

This was after having told me he worked in the kitchen at the Mansion on Turtle Creek before he got into this business.

 

[Mrmyke709]

I've got a fantastic recipe for fennel crusted tuna.
You mix the fennel with breadcrumbs, then coat the tuna with it and broil it.
It's like this one, but we used tuna steaks instead of whole red snapper.

 

[dfw75201]

It's just another layer of flavor. The taste of pure salt is not appealing, but it works when used right. There is a great potato au gratin recipe that includes sauteed shaved fennil. The fennel disappears and you would never know it's there. It's the best gratin I have ever made.

 

[GakFoo]

In reply to:

---

---

 

[Foshizzle]

Jazz on 6th used to make an incredible BBQ shrimp dish with crushed fennel seed and something hot. The anise flavor with the spice was out of this world. I'd give my left nut for that recipe.

 

[Cap33]

Sliced fennel bulb roasted with olive oil, S&P, and grated parmesan is delicious.

 

[scottsins]

toast fennel seds and put them in a grinder. use the ground seeds to coats both sides of a good chunk of yellowfin tuna. sear rare.

top with some basic sauce made with roasted peppers, sherry vinegar, etc. just play with the sauce til it tastes right.

*do not use your coffee grinder for this. you need a spice miull. if you use the coffee grinder, you will then be the proud owner of a fennel grinder, since getting that aroma/flavor out is extremely difficult.

 

[alden]

Whenever I roast a chicken in the oven, I throw some vegetables (like carrots, onions, and/or potatoes), and fennel bulbs around the chicken. Fennel bulbs are awesome. A tiny bit of licorice flavor, a little bitter, and a little sweet.

 

[DeadHeadHorn]

The Iron Chef America last night was Battle Fennel. It was allsome.