Fennel

Raw Fennel

Raw fennel is a great addition to salads or slaws. Cut the bulb in half, remove the tough base with your knife and then thinly slice each half. For extra crispness, dunk the thinly sliced fennel into ice cold water for two minutes before draining well in a colander. The long stems can also be sliced thin and the fronds reserved for adding to salads.

Soups and Stews

Fennel makes an excellent addition to the base of soups and stews along with the usual onion and celery.

Cooked in salads

Cooked fennel can also be and added cold to summer salads. Simply chop the bulb into rough 1cm dice and add to a hot frying pan with a healthy glug of rapeseed oil and a pinch of salt. Stir for one minute, before adding a splash of water and then covering with a lid. Leave the lid in place on the heat high for 2-3 minutes or until the water has evaporated and the fennel has become tender. Add more water if the pan becomes dry to stop the fennel from catching. Once cooked, remove the fennel from the pan and leave to cool. The idea is to cook the fennel hard and fast to preserve its brightness but without adding any colour from the pan.

Roast Fennel

Roasting a whole bulb of fennel brings out the sweetness. Preheat an oven to 190c. Cut each bulb into half lengthways and lay the pieces cut side down into a hot pan with a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Be brave, letting the fennel colour before moving the pan into the oven. Cook for 15 mins or until the Fennel has become tender. If the fennel colours too much, cover loosely with a lid and continue to cook in the oven. This is a great addition to many hot dishes (e.g a Sunday roast or with grilled fish) or can be left to cool before roughly chopping into salads.