Flavorful Fennel

Appears in
top 1000The New Basics Cookbook
The New Basics Cookbook

By Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso

Published 1989

  • About

We would like to see a taste for fennel develop among Americans as it has among Italians. They eat it raw and salted, much the way we eat celery, or they dip it in olive oil and season with pepper. They’ll begin a meal with fennel (which they call finocchio) or serve it as a palate cleanser at the end. We think the taste does wonders for soups, salads, stews, and sauces.

Eat it raw, cut into wedges, shards, or sticks, and served with crumbly Parmesan cheese and chilled dry Marsala; with a mild goat cheese and olives; or with a light cream cheese and ripe figs for dessert. Fennel is the perfect accompaniment for fish, and because it’s aromatic and crisp, it complements potatoes and grains extremely well.