Weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) vegetable boxes break me out of my zucchini-broccoli-green beans rut. Unfortunately, I don’t always know how to prepare vegetables that aren’t zucchini, broccoli or green beans. A recent box came with an abundance of fennel, a head-scratcher of a bulb that smells like licorice. But friends, I am so glad I didn’t push it to the back of my crisper because fennel is a peach of a vegetable. It tastes like the best caramelized onion you’ve ever enjoyed: a little sweet, a little savory, and deeply delicious.
To cut the fennel bulb, trim away the stems and fluffy green fronds, and save them for garnishing, or as an aromatic in broths and gravies. Place the bulb upright on the cutting board and slice it in half from top to bottom, then again into quarters. Remove and discard the core, and slice the remaining fennel into thin slices like you would cut onions for French onion soup. As a final farewell to cooler temps, I made this protein-rich pot pie using sauteed fennel instead of onion. But when the thermometer rises, I’ll shave raw fennel into a lemon-kissed slaw, and chop it finely for tuna salad. I can even braise fennel with the zucchini that is forever in my heart, and my refrigerator.
Credit: Kellie Hynes
Credit: Kellie Hynes
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