To some, fennel is a worthless weed or a strange-looking vegetable that's best avoided, but take a chance. This unassuming herb is extremely adaptable and can be used in more ways than one.
Cultivated for centuries in Europe and the Mediterranean, fennel is widely used in Italian cooking in everything from risottos and pasta dishes to salads and meats.
In other cultures, especially in the Middle East and Asia, the seeds are an integral part of the cuisine, used on their own or as part of spice mixtures such as Chinese five-spice or Bengali panch phoran.
Fennel has also been known to allay constipation, aid lactating mothers and repel witches!
Despite the virtues of this wonderful ingredient, supply can be an issue, unless you have access to a well-stocked supermarket or farmers' market.
We solved that problem by growing it ourselves. Fennel is so easy to cultivate; it's always super-fresh when picked straight from the garden and, best of all, it costs only a bag of seed and a little time and effort.
We recommend making room for a row or two in the vegetable garden. You won't be disappointed.
Roasting the bulb and serving it with a pork roast, seasoned with fennel seeds, is an absolute winner and will ensure that fennel becomes a firm family favourite.
A prawn and fennel risotto uses the fine, feathery leaves that work so well with seafood.
For an easy-to-prepare salad, the crunchy, aniseed-flavoured bulb at the base of the plant can be finely shaved and tossed with baby peas, sheep's milk feta and lemon juice to produce a dish of delicate and crisp flavours.
Serves four
700-800g pork scotch fillet
2 cloves garlic
Pinch chilli flakes, optional
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, roasted and ground
Salt and pepper
40ml olive oil
4 medium-sized fennel bulbs
4 large agria potatoes, boiled in their skins, peeled, cooled and sliced thickly into rounds
200ml chicken stock
100ml olive oil
1 large bunch of ruby chard, silver beet or leafy greens
150ml jus or gravy made from the pork juices
Crush garlic and mix with olive oil, chilli flakes, fennel seed and salt and pepper. Smear all over pork fillet and then sear pork in a heavy-based pan.
Colour on both sides and place into a hot, 200degC oven. Cook for 30 minutes then rest in a warm place.
Line an oven tray with baking paper. Scatter rounds of potato over tray.
Trim off any rough outside leaves from fennel. Slice lengthways if fennel bulb is skinny or into quarters if the bulb is quite large.
Scatter over and around the potatoes on the tray.
Drizzle with olive oil, season and pour chicken stock over the potato and fennel. Cover with tinfoil and cook in 200degC oven until almost cooked, approx 45-50 minutes.
Remove tinfoil and finish roasting until fennel is tender. Test with a paring knife. The potatoes and fennel should absorb the chicken stock and olive oil.
Briefly blanch the greens in salted, boiling water and drain in a colander.
Arrange potatoes and fennel in the centre of each plate, place the greens just to one side.
Carve the pork and place on top. Serve with jus or gravy.
Serves four
500g quality frozen tiger prawns
250g risotto rice
500ml chicken or vegetable stock, heated and lightly seasoned
60ml olive oil
red onion, finely chopped
Centre of 1 celery bunch, finely chopped
2 medium-sized fennel bulbs
80ml Noilly Prat vermouth or 150ml dry white wine
Salt and pepper
50g butter
50g Parmesan, shaved
Juice of 1 lemon
Half cup parsley, chopped
Half cup fennel leaf, chopped
Defrost, shell and clean prawns.
In a heavy-based saucepan, heat half the olive oil and half the butter. Add the chopped vegetables and sweat on medium heat ensuring that the vegetables don't brown.
Shave or slice the fennel as finely as possible and sweat with the other vegetables until soft and translucent.
Add rice and stir for a few more minutes then add the alcohol. Continue stirring frequently and once the rice has absorbed the alcohol, start adding the warm stock in small amounts, stirring between each addition.
Test the rice to see if it is ready by tasting a few grains. When it has almost lost its crunch add the prawns and continue to stir, adding more stock if necessary.
When the prawns are just about cooked, remove from the heat and add half the shaved Parmesan, the remaining butter, herbs, lemon and salt and pepper to taste.
Risotto should be fairly wet with the rice coated in the liquor.
Portion between the plates and top with remaining Parmesan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
Serves four
2 medium-sized fennel bulbs
Small red onion
150g sheep's milk feta
200g baby peas
Cup flat leaf parsley, picked
Cup mint leaves, picked
150g baby spinach leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
40ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Finely shave fennel into a salad bowl with a vegetable slicer or very sharp knife. The more finely sliced the better the texture.
Crumble feta over the top and add the remaining ingredients. Toss together gently and divide the mixture between four plates.
Drizzle with a little extra olive oil to serve.
