Vegetables for vitality: fennel

From seed to stem, the entire fennel plant is edible and used in many different ways to impart a mild, anise flavour to foods. Fennel's unusual licorice taste goes especially well with tomato and fish dishes. Read on to learn more about this unique vegetable.

Packed into 250 millilitres (one cup) cooked fennel:

• about 130 calories
• vitamin C to help keep skin healthy
• 20 percent of the daily requirement for fibre to maintain intestinal health
• a good source of folate and potassium

Season

Fennel is widely available in fall and winter months.

What to look for

Choose stalks with fresh-looking feathery fronds and smooth whitish-green bulbs and stems with no cracks.

Storing

Separate fennel stems from the bulb before storing. Wrap stalks and bulb separately in plastic bags and put in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator for up to four days. Use the stalks first, because they don't keep as well. Fennel loses its flavour with longer storage; it dries out and starts to turn brown.

Preparation

1. Cut feathery fronds from fennel.
2. Peel bulb with a vegetable peeler.
3. Cut bulb vertically; let slices fall away. To prepare fennel for cooking or eating raw, trim the base and remove any tough outer ribs. Trim off stalks with feathery leaves. Halve, core and slice the bulb. Raw fennel will turn brown soon after slicing so, to prevent discolouring, drop sliced fennel into a bowl of water with a little lemon juice and refrigerate until ready to cook or serve.

Basic cooking

• Fennel can be steamed, boiled, braised, stir-fried or eaten raw.
• To braise, combine two sliced fennel bulbs and 125 millilitres (1⁄2 cup) chicken stock or white wine in a large frying pan.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until fennel is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Makes four servings. The stalks and feathery leaves can be used as a seasoning or garnish for soups, salads and seafood.

Fennel has an affinity for fish. In French cuisine, for example, fish is often baked on a bed of sliced fennel. Try barbecuing fish over fennel stalks or add leaves to the poaching stock for a large salmon.

• Sprinkle chopped fresh fennel leaves on cooked prawns or clams.
• Use fennel stalks as "boats," similar to celery sticks, for carrying fillings such as cream cheese or tuna salad.
• Add fennel stalks along with other "soup greens" to flavour chicken and fish stocks.
• Add chopped fennel stalks to the other seasoning vegetables (onion, garlic and carrot) when making a fresh tomato sauce.