Instructions: For centuries, Italian and other European cooks braised fennel, baked it with fish, and chopped it fresh for salads. The fennel attraction: a gentle, slightly sweet anise flavor that lends itself to almost any dish from soups to side dishes.

Fresh fennel season extends from fall till spring. Celery like stalks and bright green fronds grow from the bulb, but these are often removed before the fennel reaches the market produce section. Pick a firm, smooth bulb without cracks or brown spots. Fennel losses its flavor quickly, so store it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and use it within a few days.

When the stalks and fronds are still attached to the bulb, remove them and slice the bulb. You can snip the fronds and use them as an herb or a topper
for soups. Reserve the tough stalks for making soup stock (in place of celery) or discard.

A simple way to enjoy raw fennel is sliced and munched like a carrot stick.

Or, you can add chopped fennel to coleslaw or potato salad for extra crunch.

Cooking fennel mutes the flavor and softens the crisp texture. Italian cooks favor braising fennel as a side dish, but they include it in almost any course.

You can introduce fennel into your cooking as a substitute for celery.

Chop
or slice raw fennel for soups, stir-fries, and vegetable medleys. Or substitute fennel wedges for another vegetable in a pot roast recipe. You can also use cooked fennel as a pizza topper.

To cook plain fresh fennel, cover it with a small amount of boiling water and cook for 6 - 10 minutes or till tender. Or, to steam it in your microwave, combine it with a little water. Cook it on 100% power (HIGH)

for
4 - 6 minutes or till tender, rearranging once.

To intensify the fennel flavor i cooked dishes, add a pinch of fennel seed.

Fennel seed comes from a different variety of fennel plant and is sold in the spice aisle.

Preparing fresh fennel:
Stalks of fennel may look similar to celery, but its delicate anise flavor sets it apart.

After removing any wilted outer layers from fennel, cut a slice from the base of the bulb and discard.

Cut off the tough upper stalks and feathery fronds, leaving the tender bulb
for cooking.

Cut the fennel bulb lengthwise; then quarter, slice, or cut as desired.

You
can eat it raw or cook it as directed.

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