Fennel tastes like Anise, or sort of like licorice, but not as strong as licorice. Fennel can be roasted, used in soups (it goes very well with potatoes in potato soup), veggie pot pies, all kinds of things. It's very versatile. I would love it if you'd post the recipe you're talking about. Asparagus and Fennel, two of my favorites, although I never would have thought to put them together.

Sally

Once fennel is cooked it has a very mild anise flavor, if the bulb is small. The smaller bulbs are more tender and less fibrous. If they are large I peel the outer layers off.

i agree with sally--it tastes like a VERY mild licorice. i wouldn't worry about overwhelming your asparagus with the flavor as i think the former has a more assertive taste. and at $5, i'd be much more worried about having the fennel going to waste by sitting in the fridge! i've seen bulbs in the store that were larger or smaller than others but still, most of them seem to be just about the size of my fist...

if you decide not to use it all for the asparagus dish, i'd like to suggest this one, which makes a great (and slightly different) salad, as posted by MQ a number of years ago:

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

Fennel is a crunchy vegetable which is much like celery except in flavor and can be used in many of the same ways, both raw and cooked. I would say it is also a bit more tender than celery. The flavor as Sally says, is like anise, as it should be because anise is a synonym for fennel. But it has a much more delicate flavor than anise seeds.

The normal size of an anise bulb is about the size of your fist.

I grew anise last summer and was surprised at how easy and productive it was.

One of my favorite uses for fennel is in a soup made from clear fish stock, onion, olive oil, white wine, fennel and fish. The delicate flavor of the fennel complements the fish very nicely.

Raw fennel can be sliced thinly and dressed with oil and vinegar or lemon juice. Thinly sliced red onion can be added to this. Maybe some crumbly cheese also. And olives? Be creative.

The fronds are pretty as a garnish. They look something like fresh dill leaves.

Jim

A standard fennel bulb is roughly the size of your standard pear. The smaller ones are sweeter and less fibrous.

Fennel tastes a bit like liquorice, or aniseed, but not so oomphy! If you like it you like it, if you don't, you won't touch it. It's like that.

In your recipe, the fennel is an important ingredient, but you can reduce the quantity after an initial taste-test.

However, since it's being used as a vegetable, not just a flavouring, you won't be able to substitute the dried herb.

You can bake fennel bulbs just as you would potato or pumpkin - nice with a sprinkle of olive oil over it. Or grate it into your next soup or stew, or cook and mix in with some mashed potato - just to use it up.

"If you like it you like it, if you don't, you won't touch it."

"...you can reduce the quantity after an initial taste-test."

"...mix in with some mashed potato - just to use it up."

Do I detect some animosity toward that lovely vegetable?

If you want to explore vegetables beyond peas, carrots and beans, try fennel. It's not that scary.

(I like you, daisyduckworth).

Jim

Come on folks!

Just because they both have mint, would you say that a Greek salad tastes sorta like candy canes because it has mint leaves in it? Saying that recipes made with fresh fennel taste like licorice is not helpful. Eating fennel is not like chewing on a licorice stick.

Jim

Sorry for the screwy syntax in that last one. I got carried away in editing.

Jim

Hey Jim! I don't mind fennel at all! I prefer it cooked, and not a lot of it, but I don't mind the flavour. I was only warning Deanna (who is new to fennel) that for some people, it's an acquired taste, and offering some ways of using it up if she happened not to like it.

No offence taken, BTW.

But while we're clearing up matters, you should know that it's rare these days to find confectionery liquorice that is actually made with liquorice root! Most 'liquorice' is flavoured with aniseed extract.

Also, a Greek salad is usually made with spearmint, which has a distinctly difference flavour from a candy-cane - made with peppermint extract!

Yeah, yeah. I can be pedantic, too!! Trying to describe flavour is, at best, an exercise in comparison.

Thank you so much for your advice.I knew I could count on good advice from all of you. I do think I will invest in the fennel and try it. I found the recipe in a Taste of Home magazine at the doctors office.

If you google it Asparagus-Fennel Pasta Salad it will come up under RecipeZaar and it is the same recipe.Sorry that I don't know how to attach a link. Good luck. If anyone tries it before I have a chance, I would love to hear your comments. Thanks. deanna

The problem with saying fennel tastes like anise is that many people associate anise with strong flavored candies or teas. Anise oil is used in some strong flavored Christmas cookies and candies. Fennel, IMHO, tastes nothing like that. It is extremely mild. In fact, the fennel I get in the grocery store is so mild that I might suggest a light sprinkle of ground fennel to add oomph to fennel dishes. Taste first, of course. But I wouldn't worry about the flavor in an asparagus dish. As many have noted, asparagus has a WAY more assertive flavor than fennel. Of course the taste does vary from bulb to bulb. I have just noticed that the fennel I am getting in the store is pretty tasteless. Probably a variety bred for long shelf life.

I agree with you, Lpinkmountain, but not everyone is able to grow their own and have to depend on the grocery store for theirs. I grow fennel in my garden, but I have to do it only in the winter, as it can't take our summers. Even then, the bulb fennel doesn't do as well as the bronze fennel for some reason. Actually, everything in the produce section at the grocery store is way inferior to what one can grow themselves, but that's a whole 'nother issue.

Thanks San, for the recipe. It looks good!

Jim, you're right that fennel is nowhere nearly as strong as licorice, but I can't think of any way to describe fennel other than comparing it to anise or licorice, even though it's not an exact match. If you were to describe fennel to someone that's never tasted it, and had to do it without them tasting it, how would you do it?

To clear something else up, fennel and anise are two different plants, different genuses, but same family, which is Umbelliferae. Anise is Pimpenella anisum, while fennel is Foeniculum vulgare. The grocery store I shop at has fennel mislabeled as anise. While in the check out line the other day, the lady in front of me was buying fennel, but it rang up as anise. Both she and the checker were confused about which item had rung up as anise. I had to explain to them that the produce people didn't know what they were doing and had mislabeled the fennel as anise.

Sally

"If you were to describe fennel to someone that's never tasted it, and had to do it without them tasting it, how would you do it?"

You got me there. I would have to do it that way.

Regarding naming, common names of plants are notoriously imprecise and confusing. Yours is not the only grocery store which calls fennel anise. Anise is the name I see most often. I rarely see it labeled fennel, although I believe you are correct. I notice in my first post to this thread that I somehow fell into using both names, even though I think of it as fennel.

Anyhow, all this talking and thinking about fennel has made me want some.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Good Fennel Article

My Greek parents & grandparents used to make plaki, a baked fish dish. The fish was topped with a tomato ragu heavy with chopped green onions & fennel fronds. They used to just cut the fronds off the plants that grew wild in the neighborhood. Although I didn't like fish much in those days, I remember enjoying that dish. I keep forgetting to pick up some fennel to make it again.

I found the recipe and it sounds wonderful! I just love fennel, and I copied to try for one of the summer pot lucks that we have each month at my office. It looks like a salad that can be kept at room temperature and served that way too. Here it is:

Asparagus-Fennel Pasta Salad Recipe #294400
"Asparagus delivers delightful spring flavor in this hearty side salad. Served warm, it includes a wonderful mix of fresh-tasting ingredients."
by Courtly
45 min : 25 min prep : SERVES 14
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
12 pitted Greek olives, sliced
1 cup minced fresh parsley
Vinaigrette
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. Place asparagus, onions and fennel in a 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives, parsley and roasted vegetables. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper until blended. Drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Mmm, that does look good. Thanks for posting. Thanks, Deannabsd, for bringing it to our attention.

Jim, I'm wanting some fennel now, too. Funny how that works.

Sally