Fennel is a remarkably versatile plant to cook with, because so much of the plant can be eaten. Natural pairings with the vegetable are fish and shellfish, citrus, strong cheeses like Parmesan and Gorgonzola, tomatoes, pork and chicken.
Fennel pollen is a delicacy in Italy and also increasingly in the U.S. — try sprinkling seared or grilled fish fillets with it. The bulbs can be eaten raw, roasted, braised,caramelized, grilled and evencandied. Cooking tends to diminish the anise flavor of the vegetable.
The stems can be added to stock or soups to add their distinctive flavor (use sparingly!), or try tossing a few stems on the coals when grilling fish. The fronds are beautiful as a garnish, delicious stuffed inside the cavity of a whole fish and are a classic component of the French fish stew, bouillabaisse.
Fennel seed is just as flexible. It is one of the spices in Chinese five-spice powder and is an important spice in India, where it is frequently used in savory dishes and chewed after a meal as a breath freshener. Pork and fennel seeds are delicious bedfellows — the seeds are often a key seasoning in Italian pork sausages and taste great with pork loin and other pork cuts. The seeds are also used in many baked goods, especially those of Southern Italian origin.
