One of the least familiar and most intriguing vegetables of fall is fennel (sometimes labeled sweet anise), a Mediterranean favorite. It looks like a bulbous head of celery and has a licorice-like taste.

A member of the same family as carrots, celery, caraway and cumin, fennel is rich in vitamin A and has fewer than 30 calories per serving. Today's recipe takes advantage of its crisp texture and distinctive flavor in a salad, but it's also good braised, grilled or sautéed.

There's no waste with fennel. Its feathery fronds can be used as a seasoning herb or garnish. Its celery-like stems make a flavor-imparting ''rack'' for roast chicken or pork and a nice addition to soup. Fennel seeds are used in sausage, and fennel pollen is a gourmet flavoring agent.

• Shopping: Choose firm, unblemished, white bulbs with rigid, crisp stalks and bright green fronds.

• Storing: Refrigerate in a loosely closed plastic bag. It should stay fresh for about five days. Don't wash until just before using.

• Prepping: Discard any bruised or discolored outer layers along with an 1/8-inch slice from the bottom of the bulb. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, lay the halves on their flat sides and slice across the grain.

• Tips: Before slicing for salads, you may wish to cut out the tough but edible core from each half. (Leave it in for cooking as it holds the pieces together.) Use a mandoline for ultra-thin slices.

Carole Kotkin is manager of the Ocean Reef Club cooking school and co-author of Mmmmiami: Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere.

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