Italian Fennel

Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum) from Italy — with a crisp, layered structure, a clean anise fragrance and a sweetness that intensifies with cooking. This is the bulbing fennel cultivated across Italy as a vegetable, distinct from the wild herb fennel grown for its fronds and seeds. The swollen base is composed of tightly overlapping leaf sheaths that are firm, pale white and full of water, with a crunch when raw that is closer to a crisp apple than to most vegetables.

Fennel is one of those ingredients that transforms entirely depending on how you handle it. Raw, sliced paper-thin on a mandoline and dressed with lemon juice and good olive oil, it is sharp, bright and refreshing — a natural partner for citrus, cured fish, Parmesan or olives in a winter salad. Cooked, the anise recedes and the sugars concentrate: braised in white wine until soft, roasted in wedges until caramelised at the edges, or grilled over flame until charred and collapsing. The fronds — the feathery green tops — are edible and useful as a finishing herb with a milder anise note than the bulb itself. Keep them and use as a garnish for fish, soups or salads.

Origin: Italy

Ingredients: Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum)

Storage: Refrigerate in the crisper drawer. Fennel keeps well for up to a week, though the outer layers may dry slightly over time — peel them away to reach the fresh flesh beneath.