F is for...............

Fennel. To some of you, this may come as a surprise. However, I like the idea of Fennel over such ingredients as ‘fish’ or ‘figs’ due to the versatility that the others don’t have. Over the course of my career, fennel has found its way onto every course of my menus in one form or another. I’m referring to the Fennel Bulb over Fennel seeds or the flower
During my time working as a commis chef in the pastry section at a 4* hotel, I was surprised to discover that fennel can go very well with coffee! After some investigation, the result was a coffee and fennel sponge with candied fennel, served with a rich coffee ice cream. It literally blew my mind! Up until this point, I’d only ever known fennel to be used with a range of savoury dishes. It is moments like this that pique my interest in cooking and fuel my desire to be a chef. As my career has progressed, this happens less and less. However, nothing beats the feeling of just going “Wow” and fennel did that.

By Susan Slater - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46478646

Fennel is one of those unique ingredients that can be eaten raw or cooked and is equally tasting in both forms. For example, one of my favourite salads is a simple Fennel and Red Onion salad. It is a great accompaniment to a nice oily piece of fish, like mackerel. Simply thinly slice a fennel bulb and a red onion on a mandolin. Place the slices into a bowl and squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon.  Add a splash of olive oil, sprinkle a large pinch of sugar and then season with salt and pepper. Mix everything well and leave it to stand for 10 minutes. You want to be sure to eat it within a day or two before it becomes a bit too limp.

Another simple use of fennel is in a stir fry. It can also be braised and used as a base for salmon or trout. You can chargrill it and serve alongside other vegetables such as peppers and aubergine.  Or one of my favourite uses of fennel is to turn it into a sorbet. Yes, you read that right. A sorbet! There is just the right amount of sweetness already in the fennel and sugar really brings out the aniseed flavor. It never ceases to amuse me when I watch people taste fennel sorbet and they struggle to determine where the flavour is from. If you have time to experiment with ice cream and sorbet then I would highly recommend it!

The good news is that Fennel is available year round in every supermarket, so there’s no excuse to not go and buy one to try if you haven't already. When you shop for fennel, you need to make sure that you select nice firm bulbs that show no signs of bruising. You may be able to find baby fennel which are much sweeter cooked than fennel but I don’t find as tasty eaten raw.

Thank you for taking the time again to read my musings. I have already written the next few letters, but am currently stuck on the letter 'I' . Any suggestions for that would be greatly received