I’m sure everyone has a vegetable that for one reason or another they grew up fearing or at the bare minimum regarded with a certain amount of hesitation. For me fear is definitely an accurate description of my feelings towards fennel growing up. Until maybe six years ago I had never to my knowledge actually even tasted it, as I was raised to believe that nothing good could come of it.
I’m not sure what fennel did to my mother but the reaction she gives when you mention a recipe that features it leads me to speculate that it was definitely traumatic. Funny thing is that on the many occaisins that I have spent in the small town in southern Germany where she grew up, I don’t think I have ever had anything made with it. I’m guessing that’s probably a good thing.
It’s quite uncharacteristic of both sides of my family to discriminate about food. We embrace all activities that involve eating and rarely have any boundaries, with a major tendency to over indulge. On the rare occasion that you hear a complaint at the dinner table it’s always in regards to quantity. Seriously if you want to piss my family off, invite them to dinner and underfeed them. Actually, if you were even to serve what most people would consider a normal portion, with no option for seconds…you would be referred to as a purveyor of rabbit food until the end of time. There are dinners of this kind that happened ten years ago and we still talk about them. Dinners that involved Christmas and other scared eating holidays that are not to be altered in any way.
It’s actually sort of funny because I had my first reality check when I cooked dinner for my in laws for the first time a few weeks ago. After spending an entire day in the kitchen, preparing a multi-course Italian feast Indra style, everything that I knew about cooking and serving food to people came to a screeching halt. Sound dramatic? Well it was! And I’m still not sure if I’m over the trauma of it. After serving out each dish individually with portions that I thought were reasonable, in an effort to make this dinner a little bit special with all of the pretty garnishes and plate design I could muster, they sent them back! I couldn’t believe it. They wanted me to take the plates back and make them smaller portions, in their words “can you split up one of these on two plates?” I thought I was hallucinating, could someone really be complaining that the portion size I served them was too big? Well there’s a first for everything and this was definitely a first for me.
Another first I had last year was something I thought I would never see: my mother preparing a fennel salad. Apparently she has come around to its flavor, but only if its raw-she still wont eat it cooked. It was quite a surprise to see her embracing this vegetable for the first time and though I have been enjoying it for years I’ve got to say that the way she prepared it, is still one of my favorites. This salad is amazingly fresh but comforting at the same time. Fennel is quite similar in flavor and texture to celery, not to mention its wonderful anise flavor. I’ve added some thinly sliced and macerated onion to it before but my favorite is still this one, nothing fancy just amazingly satisfying.
Fennel and Orange Salad – Makes two small portions
1 Large Fennel Bulb, trimmed reserving the frons
1 large navel orange
5 table spoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 whole smashed garlic clove
salt and pepper to taste
For the dressing
Combine olive oil whole crushed garlic clove and season with salt and pepper and let sit for a few minutes for the garlic to infuse the oil. I usually just let it sit while I prepare the salad. Once infused squeeze in the lemon and mix with a fork so it emulsifies a bit.
For the salad
Wash and trim the fennel bulb, reserving the frons for garnish and slice paper thin – use a Japanese mandolin if you have one and set aside.
Cut the bottom off of the orange so that its stable to peel and run your knife down the sides until all of the skin is off. Alternatively you could just peel it by hand if you don’t mind the pith being left on.
Slice the orange into thin rounds.
In a medium sized bowl layer the fennel slices with the orange slices and our over the dressing and garnish with the chopped fennel frons.
