I love fennel and don’t see it served in restaurants enough or in many recipes for home. Too bad. High in water content, rich in fiber, and oh so flavorful, it gives a zing to any salad or as a vegetable accompaniment to a main course. Healthy and rich in potassium, vitamins C and E, and beta carotene, an antioxidant, fennel can be consumed raw, thinly sliced, or cooked with a bit of olive oil and shallots or garlic. When picking fennel look for tender green fronds, a sign of freshness, and always favor thick-stem bulbs.
Ingredients
4 fennel bulbs
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
Pinch of cumin
3⁄4 cup white wine
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Yield: 4 servings
Recipe
Cut the fennel bulbs in half lengthwise. Chop each half into four pieces. Warm the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the ginger and cook for 10 seconds. Add the cumin and white wine and bring to a boil. Add the fennel pieces and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 20 minutes over medium-low heat, until the fennel is softened and flavors are blended. Serve with most fish or white meats.