Food

Fennel

How to use a misunderstood vegetable

 
 

Finely chopped fresh fennel adds crunch and a pleasant licorice-like flavor to the traditional egg salad sandwich.
Finely chopped fresh fennel adds crunch and a pleasant licorice-like flavor to the traditional egg salad sandwich.
Matthew Mead / AP

Sandwich

FENNEL EGG SALAD SANDWICH

To hard-boil eggs, place them in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer, cover and cook for 14 minutes.

1/ 2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Splash hot sauce

Zest of half a lemon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and ground pepper

1 small red onion, finely diced

1/2 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped

6 eggs, hard-boiled, cooled and peeled

Lettuce or other greens

6 slices sandwich bread, lightly buttered and toasted

Pinch smoked paprika

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, hot sauce, lemon zest and juice. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

Mix in the red onion and fennel. Coarsely chop the eggs, then gently stir them in. The eggs should be thoroughly mixed, but not mashed.

Arrange a bed of greens over 3 slices of the bread, then divide the egg salad between them. Sprinkle each with smoked paprika before topping with a second slice of bread. Makes 3 servings.

Per serving: 530 calories; 280 calories from fat (53 percent of total calories); 31 g fat (10 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 390 mg cholesterol; 42 g carbohydrate; 18 g protein; 3 g fiber; 1,140 mg sodium.


Associated Press Food Editor

If ever there was a vegetable dogged by misunderstanding, fresh fennel is it.

Because while it may taste like anise and look like a bulb, it is neither. While fennel is a relative of anise, they are separate plants. And while the base of fennel is bulbous, that’s a shape, not its plant variety. Fresh fennel resembles a cross between cabbage, celery and dill. The taste is assertively (though not unpleasantly) licorice and sweet. The base of the fennel is round with tightly overlapping pale green leaves. Sprouting out of that are long celery-like stalks topped with fine frilly leaves.

Technically speaking, all parts of the plant are edible, but most people will find the stalks too tough and fibrous to eat. The leaves can be chopped and used to flavor salads, dressings, marinades and sauces. They tend to have a slightly more citrusy flavor than the base.

The base (or bulb) is delicious raw or cooked. The thick bottom and outer leaves usually are trimmed off, then the rest can be sliced or chopped.

Fennel is particularly popular in the cuisines of the Mediterranean, particularly Italy, where it has been grown since the 17th century.

Read more Food stories from the Miami Herald

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category