Fennel, what is fennel?

I was going to put this entry into the "difficult vegetables" group, but as I cooked it last night, I decided that it really isn't a difficult vegetable at all. So, with a tribute to Gertrude Stein and "Tender Buttons" (Nickle, what is nickle?), let's talk about "what is fennel?"

Italians know what fennel is. We adore it. A good meal, without some fennel at the end to chew as a restorative, and a palate cleanser, is incomplete. It's that stuff that looks like big, fluffy, celery that you see in the supermarket sometimes, usually having been treated very badly (which is why I think people don't buy it very often). Interestingly, the Italian word for fennel ("finocchio") was used for years as slang for gay man (it was a nastier word, but I won't use it here). Who can figure out why? Maybe because it is a very exuberant, over the top vegetable? I don't know. In any event, Federico, my patient as a saint Italian teacher says that no one uses the word anymore to describe gay men, so I guess we have progress.

Anyway, like I said, when you see fennel, it usually looks horrible. It's not a particularly delicate vegetable, but it does bruise easily, especially because the skin on the outside is so pale and white. You should ignore this, because you're not going to use that part. You're going to have a lot of waste, so make sure you get a nice big bulb. Or several. When I cook for Guy and I, I plan on a large bulb for each of us. You may want to do the same.

Those wonderful fronds on the plant are great in fish dishes. I uses them underneath a baked fish, especially a white fillet like monkfish , or cod, and then sprinkle fresh ones over the fish when it's done. I also add it to risotti if I'm using something like scallops, or shrimp. The hollow stems are something I haven't figured out how to use yet, other than to chew on them because I love the wonderful, anise/licorice flavor that they have. The bulbs, however, are where the action is.

Older fennel forms a nice sized bulb. The smaller ones, which have not "bulbed" yet, are really only useful, in my view, for things where you want a fresh herb. The bulb needs to be sliced thin. Then you can add it to salads. Fennel with oranges is a classic, and rightly so. So, too is fennel with a sprinkling of bottarga, the wonderful dried fish roe from Sardinia, and a lemon dressing. Fennel is a joy to cook. It browns easily and the flavor transforms somewhat. It can also be sliced up, and used in a gratin with potatoes, where it gives some crunch and that distinctive flavor. But today, we're gonna saute it.

What I did was to take two large fennel bulbs. After I took off the fronds and stems, and shook my head because I had nothing to do with them, I sliced them nice and thin. I put them into a pan with some olive oil, and a pinch of salt. I got that wonderful sizzle that a vegetable with a lot of water gives to a pan when it's sauteeing, and as the sound decreased, I moved them around. The slices had browned beautifully, and left a nice "fond" on the pan.

Now, I was faced with a question: I wanted that fond, so as to coat the vegetable with a little sauce. What to use? Citrus juice would have burned off and left no flavor, red wine was out of the question and white wine - at least the stuff I had at hand, simply seemed not strong enough.

'VERMOUTH' I swear I heard my friend Sue's resonant voice give me instruction from the back of the kitchen. (I DO hear voices in the kitchen sometime, and that's not the least of my patholigies). She was right. Vermouth has all those herbal overtones, and with fennel. What a perfect match. So, off the flame, I poured in about a quarter cup of the vermouth and then reduced it. When the cooking was done, I did in fact squeeze a lemon into the dish before serving it, with the conch pasta sauce that I wrote about previously.

This was a winner. I'm serving it as part of my Xmas holiday meal. I think it will be a hit.

There is much more to be said about fennel, but I'm moving on. Do some research, make something wonderful, and maybe you'll find a new ingredient to play with. I hope you do.