Oh, oh, I just love fennel! I use it in italian sausage, and I use a LOT of it.

I like to sprinkle fennel on baked fish, and I like it on homemade foccaccia bread. I often sprinkle a bit onto my salad and a few onto some pork chops if I'm not using sauerkraut and caraway.

Sometimes I just chew a few seeds, LOL, it's a snack as well as a seasoning!

Annie

Well, the whole seeds steeped make a great tea, but I too have some ground fennel that is languishing. I bought it for some recipe or another, but I just don't use it up fast enough. I love fennel in tomato sauce. I guess could go in coleslaw, (everything seems to taste good to me in coleslaw), and perhaps sprinkled over roasted veggies. I use it a lot in minestrone, but my minestrone days are winding down until next fall. Wish I could remember what recipe I bought it for. I think it might have been some type of italian style tomato soup with proscuitto, sage, fennel . . . ? Probably had carrots, celery and onion which are my soup standards. I might try to make some this weekend. All I have are those three cryptic words in my cooking notebook and a memory of having made some very good soup at my friend's house.

For me fennel goes into "Italian"....never tried it on foccacia...but for sure will now.
Linda C

If I just had one teaspoon of fennel seeds to use, this is the recipe I'd save them for - from Nina Simonds' cookbook "Asian Noodles"

CINNAMON BEEF NOODLES
6 Servings

"This is the dish I crave when I am feeling a cold or the flu coming on -- a big bowl of noodles topped with spinach and tender pieces of beef infused with garlic, ginger, anise, and cinnamon. The flavor gets better and better every time you reheat it."

1 teaspoon safflower or corn oil

Chile-Cinnamon Seasonings:

6 scallions, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch sections, and smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife

6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed lightly with the flat side of a cleaver, and thinly sliced

4 slices fresh ginger (about the size of a quarter), smashed lightly with the flat side of a knife

1 1/2 teaspoons hot chile paste

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon aniseed

------------------------------------

8 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce

2 pounds chuck or beef stew meat, trimmed of fat and gristle, and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

10-ounces spinach, trimmed, rinsed, and drained

1/2 pound flat Chinese wheat-flour noodles, udon, or other flat noodles, such as fettuccine, cooked until just tender, rinsed under warm water, and drained

3 tablespoons minced scallions

1. Heat a large pot or casserole over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until hot, about 30 seconds. Add the chile-cinnamon seasonings and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the water and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Add the beef and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the beef is very tender. Skim the surface to remove any impurities or fat. Remove the ginger slices and cinnamon sticks and discard. Add the spinach and bring to a boil.
2. Divide the noodles among six soup bowls. Ladle the meat, spinach, and broth over the noodles and sprinkle with the scallions. Serve.

I like it in Italian sauces, especially in pizza sauce.

Seagrass, I must be overlooking it, I can't find fennel anywhere in that recipe, just aniseed...

Maybe it would make a good substitute for the aniseed?

Annie

I use fennel seed in Ann's Uncooked Pizza Sauce.

>I use a very good quality imported Italian plum tomatoes and coarsely puree them with the stick blender. I added a couple of cloves of minced garlic, oregano, some fresh ground fennel seed, salt and pepper. Plus a few tablespoons of olive oil. I usually mix this up while the dough is rising. It gives it some time for the flavours to meld. I prefer this sauce over any cooked pizza sauce. Ann T

A lot of people think of the bulb as a vegetable when they think of fennel, but for others, it's the leaves and seeds they use most often. The flowers can also be used.

If you're growing fennel for the bulb, you need the Florence Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare azoricum). There is also a Bronze Fennel which can be used in the same ways as the common fennel (Foeniculum vulgare).

The following recipes use the leaves and seeds only.

Fennel Orange Brittle
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind

Line a large baking sheet with foil, then lightly oil foil. Cook sugar in a large dry nonstick frypan over moderate heat, without stirring, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until sugar is melted into a deep golden caramel. Immediately remove from heat and stir in fennel seeds and rind, then quickly pour onto baking sheet, spreading with the back of the spoon before syrup hardens. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then break into pieces and pulse in a food processor until finely ground. For a crunchy garnish, break some or all of brittle into 5cm pieces instead of grinding in food processor.

Fennel Soda Bread
3 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon fennel seed
2 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons melted butter
3 tablespoons butter, chilled

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 25cm round cake pan. Mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugar, and fennel seed. In another bowl, stir together the eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter. Stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, until just blended using a large spoon. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Dot with the 3 tablespoons of chilled butter. Bake for about 1 hour, or until puffed and golden. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

Carrot Salad with Fennel
2 tablespoons chopped fennel leaves
3 cups grated carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Mix together the fennel and carrots. Whisk the oil, lemon and mustard together. Pour over the carrots and mix well. Cover and chill for one hour or more before serving, stirring occasionally.

Fennel Pork Chops
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon fennel seed or 2 tablespoons fresh fennel leaves
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pork chops

Sprinkle garlic salt over the pork chops. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add pork chops, sprinkling the fennel over the top. Brown both sides of the pork chops, then add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add more wine during this process if necessary. Serve hot.

Use fennel seeds instead of poppy or sesame seeds on bread.

Chopped fennel leaves go well with seafood, cheeses and vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, celery, zucchini, cucumber, leek, spinach or onions. Add a few seeds to dried figs, apples, pears, plums or quinces.

Fennel flowers have a mild, liquorice flavour and a sweet aroma. Serve with fish, creamy sauces, potatoes and salads.

Salad, sausage, pork, duck, fish, cabbage, cucumber, onion, herb butter, cheese spread; seeds in desserts and breads. The greens can be used almost interchangeably with dill and the seeds can be used ground in lentil soups, whole in boiling water for rice and brussels sprouts. Seeds and leaves used with fish, in soups, salads and dressings.

NOTE: To distinguish Dill from Fennel: The leaves of dill are more delicate than fennel and the seeds are flatter and thinner.

Medicinal Uses: Excellent digestive, suitable for babies in tiny doses. Also used to treat respiratory congestion, conjunctivitis, styes, diarrhoea, cystitis and other urinary tract infections, to eliminate hookworms, to increase flow of breast milk, as a soothing eyewash and the chewed seeds will freshen the breath. It is also used to reduce appetite in slimming regimes. Helpful for cancer patients after radiation and chemotherapy. May improve the libido in both males and females. Fennel oil can be rubbed over painful joints to relieve rheumatism and may be added to gargles for hoarseness and sore throat and cough.

Other Uses: Flowers and leaves yield a dye which varies in shades of yellow, green and brown.

Folklore: Grown around the home, fennel confers protection. Wearing a piece of fennel in the left shoe will prevent wood ticks from biting your legs. Fennel is also hung up at windows and doors to ward off evil spirits and the seeds can be carried for the same reason. Fennel is used in purification sachets, as well as healing mixtures. Carry fennel to influence others to trust your words and also to protect against witchcraft. In American history, the Puritans thought of fennel as a Âmeeting seedÂ. Meeting seeds were seeds of various herbs which parishioners chewed during church meetings to stay awake.

Warning: High doses of fennel may cause muscular spasms and hallucinations. This is particularly true if the oil is used. Use seeds in moderation and avoid the seeds if you have a history of allergies or skin sensitivities. Because of its hormonal action, it is best avoided by pregnant women, or those with oestrogen-dependent cancer. Best avoided by people with a history of alcoholism, hepatitis or liver disease. Avoid fennel if you have been advised not to take birth control pills. Do not use essential oil undiluted on skin, if pregnant, or if suffering from epilepsy.

NOTE: It is known as a Âbad companion in the garden, and should not be planted near other plants, especially Dill with which it will readily cross-pollinate. It inhibits growth of plants nearby. It self-seeds readily and can quickly become a weed. It's a perennial which can grow to 2 metres tall.

Whenever I'm leaving Indian restaurants, I always take a spoonful of the fennel-seed concoction they keep by the doorway. I had to ask DH what it's called - mukhwas or supari. There are different types, but I like it when the fennel seeds are mixed with colored candy-coated fennel seeds - like Good 'n' Plenty! Combination mouth-freshener and digestive aid.

Annie - yes, sorry! I use fennel seed where it calls for anise.

seagrass

I have been making these RR Chicken Sausage Meatballs lately. I throw them into whatever sauce I have on hand.

Mini Chicken Sausage Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 teaspoon, 1/3 palm full, fennel seeds
1/4 cup tender sun-dried tomatoes (available in pouches or tubs in produce section)
10 leaves fresh basil
extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place chicken in a medium bowl with grill seasoning and fennel seeds. Pile sun-dried tomatoes on top of each other in small stacks then slice into thin strips. Coarsely chop the thin strips and add to bowl. Stack the basil leaves together then roll them up into a log. Shred the basil by thinly slicing the log. Add the half the basil to the bowl. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the bowl. Mix chicken together, roll into mini balls, 1 1/2 inches across, and arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden.

Here are two nice light soups for spring. I threw the ingredients for the Tomato Bulgur in the crockpot this morning and just had the soup for dinner--yum.

From "Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites"--a cookbook I can't praise enough. Great even if you eat meat, for all the great healthy side dish ideas.

Tomato Bulgur Soup
Serves 4-6
Prep. time 30 min. tops!

Note: the soup tends to thicken as it sits, so you may want to add more broth if you don't serve it immediately after making it.

3 cups basic vegetable stock (or whatever other type of stock you like in tomato soup.)
1 cup finely chopped onions (I used about 1/2 cup red onion)
1 cup peeled diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery (2 med. stalks)
2 large cloves of garlic, minced or pressed (I used half this amount, I'm not a garlic fan)
1 tsp. salt (I omitted, since the stock and canned tomatoes had salt. I'm very salt conscious though)
1 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. ground fennel
2 cups undrained canned tomatoes, chopped (16 oz. can)
1/4 cup bulgur (you could sub rice if you don't have bulgur)
ground black pepper to taste (I used lemon pepper)

In a large soup pot, combine the stock, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, salt, dill, and fennel. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and summer gently for about 5 min. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice. Add the bulgur and mix well. Return to a boil and simmer, covered for another 15 min, or until the bulgur is tender, stirring occasionally. Add pepper to taste.

Lpink's notes: OR, just throw all the ingredients in a crockpot and simmer for four hours on high, then lower the heat and add the bulgur at the end and simmer for another 30 min. or so. Could also throw in at beginning of work day and simmer on low for longer.

I added some chickpeas I had in the fridge, and finished it off with a healthy glob of marscapone that I was trying to use up. You could add all kinds of garnishes--pancetta, dollop of lowfat sour cream or yogurt, croutons, etc. Could add or sub zuchinni, cabbage, etc. Would be good served with pita and spinach dip and/or hummus.

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From "Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special" cookbook
I haven't made it but it's going on my "to try" list. I don't like cold Vichyssoise but I do like it warm.

Fennel Vichyssoise
Serves 4-6.
Prep time--20 min + 25 min. cooking time and optional 30 min. chilling time

3 cups chopped potatoes (doesn't specify peeling, but I would)
3 cups water or vegetable stock
1 TBLSP fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chopped leeks, white parts only
2 tsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed (too much for my taste)
2 1/4 cups chopped fresh fennel bulbs (1 large or 2 small bulbs, whole plants with fronds)
1/2 cup peeled and chopped parsnips (optional)
1 TBLSP white wine or water
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground fennel seeds
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
3 cups 2% milk

Minced fresh chives to garnish.

Combine potatoes, water or stock, and lemon juice in a med. pot. Cover and bring to a biol. Then simmer uncovered until the potatoes are tender, about 15 min.

Meanwhile, in a soup pot, saute the leeks in the oil on med. heat for about 5 min., stirring frequently til softened. Add the garlic, chopped fresh fennel, parsnips if using, and white wine or water. Cover and continue to cook for 20 min. (I'll bet you might have to add some more wine or water ocassionally to keep this from sticking.)

When the veggies are cooked, add the cooked potatoes and stock to the soup pot.

In batches in a blender or food processor, puree the soup with the milk until smooth and creamy. Serve hot, at room temp. or chilled. (One of the best arguements for a hand blender is to make vichyssoise!)

I'll bet you could make this with a moderate amount of celery and up the ground fennel for a similar effect if you couldn't find fresh fennel in the store. (or couldn't afford it as is usually the case with me.) I'd be tempted again to throw the whole lot, EXCEPT THE MILK, into the crockpot until tender, and then add the milk and puree when ready to serve.

I most often use fennel in tomato pasta sauces and when I make homemade gyro loaves. For the gyros, I steep the fennel seeds in a small amount of boiling water before adding both the seeds and liquid to the meat mixture.

This is my favorite recipe using fennel seeds and also a good used of ground coriander.

TOMATO SAUCE PROVENCALE (makes about 8 cups)

6 lbs. fresh tomatoes or 3 28-oz. cans tomatoes
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tsp. brandy
4 medium cloves of garlic, minced
3 1-in. long pieces orange peel without the white
2 large sprigs fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
2 cloves stuck into a peeled garlic clove
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. ground coriander seed
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. celery seed
6 oz. can tomato paste

Plunge fresh tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds and remove skins. Chop pulp coarsely, if using fresh tomatoes.

Heat oil in heavy pot; add onion and cook slowly about 15 minutes, until onion is transparent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Break up tomatoes as they cook, if using canned tomatoes.

Remove garlic with cloves, parsley, bay leaf and orange peel.

If tomatoes are a very acidic variety, add a pinch or two of sugar.

For low-sodium diets, no-salt-added tomato paste and canned tomatoes can be used. If using fresh, little if any added salt will be needed.

this spice mix is very good and flavorful and we love it on pork or chicken.

Fennel Spice Michael Chiarello
This is my favorite spice mixture. There is almost nothing it doesn't taste good on or in. Use it to make spice-encrusted pork ribs, chops, or tenderloin; veal chops; chicken breasts; duck; beef; liver; or eggplant.
Ingredients (Makes about 1-1/4 cups)

1 cup fennel seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons white peppercorns
3 tablespoons kosher salt
Directions

Put the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a heavy pan over medium heat. Watch carefully, tossing frequently so the seeds toast evenly. When light brown and fragrant, pour the seeds onto a plate to cool. They must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blades.
Pour the seeds into a blender and add the salt. Blend to a fine powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds. Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

Grilled Chicken with Grilled Mushroom Vinaigrette
This makes a delicious, easy, one-dish supper. You can use whatever wild mushroom you like, or try dried mushrooms when mushroom season is over. And if you don't want to light the grill, this can be done on the stovetop or under the broiler.
Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 thick slices bread, cut from a good, crusty loaf
Extra virgin olive oil for brushing on bread, plus 1/2 to 3/4 cup
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 boneless chicken breast halves, skin on
About 2 tablespoons Fennel Spice (see basics recipes)
1 pound mixed fresh mushrooms such as shiitake, morel, chanterelle, and domestic
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallot
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions

Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and set aside. Coat the chicken well with the Fennel Spice and set aside until ready to cook.
Prepare the grill and place the bread on the grill, away from direct heat, and grill on both sides until brown and crispy on the outside but still soft within, about 5 minutes.
Leave the mushrooms whole, and toss in a bowl with 1/2 cup of the olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Immediately grill the mushrooms (be careful not to allow the flames to flare up and burn the mushrooms), turning at least once, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. As the mushrooms are done, return them to the marinade in the bowl. Let cool, finely chop, and return to the marinade.
Add the shallot, vinegar, parsley, the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, to the mushrooms. Toss well and add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, if necessary, for balance. Toss well again. (The mushroom vinaigrette may be made a day ahead, covered, and refrigerated, and then returned to room temperature before serving.)
When the coals have burned down to a medium fire, place the chicken, skin side down, on the grill and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Turn over, move to the edge of the grill away from direct heat, and continue to cook until opaque throughout, about 7 minutes. Remove to a plate. Place a grilled bread slice on each of 4 plates. Slice the chicken breasts crosswise and arrange on top of the bread. Pour any accumulated chicken juices into the mushrooms and stir. Spoon the mushrooms over and alongside the chicken.

and some notes from forum friends--i just love the salad and bought fresh mushrooms and a bubl of fennel last night so we could have it this weekend:

Dances I first tried it raw in a salad vinagrette. Very good, surprizingly pleasant. The licorice is more in the aroma than the flavour, and the texture is not crisp but more fibery but not unpleasant. I ate it in salad for the whole week, I couldn't get enough of it. A grating of fresh parmesan cheese, and wowee!
Then I decided to try some sauteed with garlic. I sliced a garlic clove and sliced the fennel. Added it to a bit of melted margarine on low heat, grind of salt and pepper. I sauteed until the fennel was tender and the garlic browned but not burned. If you want a taste sensation so complex and wonderful it almost makes you faint, take a bit of garlic and a bit of fennel on your fork. Gracious! Not so licorice when cooked, I can't even explain the savory flavour. It's like tasting every single fall vegetable at the same time along with celery and garlic and onion.
I am DEFINITELY going to add this to my next roasting pan! Well, at least the next roast I don't want DH and DD to eat ;).

Dances, my first experiences eating fresh fennel was similar--I couldn't get enough! I will try your sauted fennel with garlic.
I made Alice Waters' (Chez Panisse) simple recipe for Shaved Fennel, Mushroom, and Parmesan Salad (see link below). I ate almost the entire salad. Only difference is I sauteed the mushrooms as I don't like them raw.
Basically, the recipe/method is:
1. Cut off the feathery tops of the fennel at the base of their stalks and remove the outer layer of the bulbs. Slice the bulbs very thin with a mandolin or a very sharp knife.
2. Assemble the salad in layers on a large platter or on individual salad plates.
3. First make a layer of the fennel slices. Squeeze lemon juice evenly over the fennel and drizzle with fruity olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Then make a layer of the mushrooms, also slice very thin. Squeeze more lemon juice over them, drizzle evenly with olive oil, salt and pepper.
5. Grate or cut thin shavings of the Parmesan with cheese
slicer or a vegetable peeler and arrange them on top of the salad. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.
* Other options are artichokes and balsamic vinegar. MQ

I just wanted to report back that I made the Fennel Vichyssoise last night and it is excellent! Very pretty/elegant too. And since it is lowfat would make a nice addition to a healthy dinner party--it is a lovely pale green color.

So both these soups are a good use of ground fennel. I'm slowly making a dent in my little 1/4 oz. jar from Penzeys!