It's a French/Italian/Indian thing...

FENNEL!

So I did it again, I took off on another leg of my culinary journal but this time it was with the romantic Fennel.  Doesn't it just scream, "come hither"?  Yeah, didn't think so.  This is what is called the "fronds and fur".  I have learned that the entire fennel is actually consumable.  It also has the same distinct smell (black licorice) as the Anise, but in fact, they are two separate plants so when you hear people refer to fennel as anise, you should correct them.  If you eat authentic Indian food, instead of an after dinner mint, they bring you a mixture of fennel seeds and candy coated black licorice.  I had no idea I was eating fennel until I researched this funky veggie! 

After cutting off all of the fronds and fur (the fur I learned can be used as an actual garnish on top of many dishes and soups, don't waste it if you don't have to!) this is what was left.  The fennel is actually quite hearty like an onion when it comes to storing in the refrigerator.  I left it for a week and was nervous that it was going to be bad, but nope, just as healthy as my red onion!  Apparently the Italians LOVE using fennel, it's more popular than an onion in cooking for those folks.  Also, the French, same thing!  Crazy Parisians!  Gotta love 'em!

My friend Liz sent me a recipe for a fennel salad by Giada de Laurentiis.  I accidentally allowed my basil to go bad and forgot to buy an orange so I ended up finding a similar recipe that matched some ingredients I had on hand.  The grapefruit, olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing for this was awesome!  However, the Hearts of Palm really didn't do anything for the salad, they were lost in there.  Also, I learned when eating fennel in its raw form, you NEED a mandolin to slice it thin or it is extremely time consuming to slice.  Too thick of pieces and the texture is a turn off.  Also, with this particular salad, the grapefruit chunks needed a sweeter element (like the paired orange in Giada's recipe) to cut down the bitter/tartness.  However, avocado and grapefruit are a phenomenal duo so that part worked. 

All in all, the fennel was just, "OK".  I think I'll try Giada's exact recipe next time and invest in a mandolin to slice my fennel super thin.  Maybe this way I'll have a better experience with fennel.   I also found a simple recipe for fennel soup that maybe will be more appetizing as it is cooked.

Will I buy fennel again you ask?  Yes, but not for this particular salad and I need to try it cooked too.  Maybe with a different salad and it being cooked down I'll have an astounding "YES" like I did with the kale (I'm craving that salad just thinking about it).