My long journey with fennel

I first had fennel in 2003 when I was studying abroad in Austria. The Frau made us a salad with romaine and fennel, only I thought the fennel was onions. I tried them, and they were pretty tasty, so I guess the Frau's cooking wasn't all pumpkin goulash and band-aid scones. (Ask me about that one later.)

Fennel is kind of funny looking.

However, it's very nifty, as you can use the bulb and the fronds in recipes. It also smells and tastes a bit licorice-y, so it is a nice compliment to a lot of mellow flavors.

Lately, I have seen a lot of fennel on the Food Network, and in some of my favorite chef, Ina Garten's recipes. I decided to try it myself, and make up my own fennel recipe for dinner tonight.

What I came up with:


Fennel and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:

• Fennel bulb
  
• Avocado
  
• Juice of two lemons
• Olive oil to whisk (2-4 tablespoons)
• Tsp. dried basil
• Tsp. dried parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste
  

Directions:

1. Cut the stems off the fennel bulb, reserving some fronds.
2. Cut the fennel bulb in half, cutting off the outer bulb layers and inner "heart." Chop into thin slices.
3. Peel and chop avocado into bite-sized pieces.
4. Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil. Whisk in pepper, salt, parsley, basil, and some fennel fronds.
5. Mix dressing with fennel and avocado pieces.