Fennel Root — The Forgotten Vegetable
Fennel root is one of my favorite vegetables, and I cannot understand why so many people are unaware of its existence. Even when shopping in a large grocery store, I sometimes get asked by the cashiers to remind them what it is so they can look up the price. It is hard to resist the temptation to tell them the name of something really cheap!
For those of you who are not familiar with it, I will attempt to describe it. First, its taste is like a cross between a mild celery and licorice. Fennel root is not the only food with a licorice taste: fennel seed, anise, star anise and tarragon all have similar licorice flavors, as does licorice root. However, to my knowledge, fennel root is the only vegetable to have this taste.
Physically it looks like a cross between celery and white onions. The base is white and bulb-shaped, and looks as though it was splitting in two, like siamese twins. From the two halves sprout two or three stalks, thinner than celery and a deeper green. The stalks also have very fine hair-like fronds that are very fragrant. All three parts of the fennel root can be used. The only part that need be thrown away is the very bottom part, which tends to be rather wood-like in texture. I usually trim off the bottom quarter inch or so, and give it to my pig.
The stalk of the fennel root makes a very good substitute for celery. If you read my post on the Way of Soup, you will recall that celery is one of the three ingredients of mirepoix, or a vegetable mix that is cooked gently to make the base flavor for a soup or other recipe. You can easily switch the celery with fennel root stalks for a slightly sweeter variation.
The bulb of the fennel root can be used in a similar manner, but it has the added benefit of being bulkier than the stalk, which allows us to roast it as well as sautee it. You can also add it to soups as a main vegetable, or use it raw in a salad or as a dipping vegetable.
Finally, the fronds can be used as a fresh herb, to accent any lightly-flavored dish or sauce or dip. Just chop them up finely, and sprinkle on top, or mix in.
Fennel, with its distinctive flavor, pairs well with a couple of different foods. First, fennel and orange is a classic combination of flavors, and I have made simple salads of chopped fennel and mandarin oranges. If you think kids won’t eat vegetables, try this! One other food that fennel pairs well with is pork, and this is what I did last night.
First, I got a very nice, small pork loin cut, with a small amount of the ribs still attached. The rib tips give me a natural spot to cut thick slices, making pork chop cuts that are thick, and amazingly tender. With a nice cut like this, the main danger is over-cooking, so I started on my rice and fennel first.
I chopped the fennel stalks first into small dice-like pieces. I sweated these in my rice pot with a bit of oil and some salt. The goal here is to get the flavor out of the cells of the plant, and medium-low heat and salt are the best tools for this job. After the fennel stalk was nicely sweated (they should be soft, but not mushy), I added my rice. I continued to cook the rice in the fennel and oil, allowing the surface of the rice to get a nice infusion of the flavor. I then added my water, and a bit of balsamic vinegar and some Italian seasoning mix.
When it comes to rice, exact measurements are not necessary, but it is important to know the ratio of rice to liquid. Most instructions will tell you 2 parts liquid to 1 part rice, but I find that cutting back a bit on the liquid makes for a better texture. More than 1.5 to one, and less than 2 to 1 is what I aim for. Also, it is easier to add water to rice than to take it out, so start with less water if you aren’t sure. Also, I like to use vinegar in the liquid, partially for taste, and partially because it stops the rice from becoming too sticky. Also, you should generally add salt to the water, but as I had added some to the fennel stalk, I did not add any to the water this time.
Once the liquid and the spices were added, I put the heat on high, and as soon as there were signs of boiling I turned the heat way down, to the bare minimum. When cooking rice, you want a heavy lid, and you do not want to take the lid off at all until it is done cooking. Steam is your friend when cooking rice, as it helps fluff up the rice. Letting it all out stops this from happening, so leave the lid on! Depending on the amount, one hour is about the right amount of time.
To prepare the meat, I got my roasting pan and some oil and put it on the stove at medium high. I patted the meat dry and salted both sides. When the oil was hot enough, I put the meat in top side down. This is because the first side you brown will always come out the cleanest, so I always start with the “presentation” side. As the meat was browning, I chopped the fennel root bulb. Depending on how you slice it, you can get some nice shapes with the fennel, usually slightly curved. I wanted fairly thick slices, as I was going to be roasting them with the meat.
Once the meat was browned on both sides (the remaining sides were too small to bother) I added the chopped fennel to the roasting pan and drizzled olive oil and sprinkled salt on them, making sure to give the meat a bit as well. This went into the oven at 325 for 25 minutes. With pork you must be careful when it comes to temperature. First, if you cook it too much it will be dry and tough, especially a nice cut like this one was. Second, if you cook it not enough, then there are potential food poisoning concerns. A thick cut of meat has less danger of food poisoning, as the bacteria from the surface of the meat has not been cut into the meat with the blades, as it is with ground meats.
With a nice cut like the loin, you can safely cook it to medium rare with no danger. Pork should never be left pink as beef can be, but you do not have to completely harden the meat either.
By the way, estimating how “done” the meat is when it is cooked is one of the hardest things to do. Here the “rule of thumb” — literally: With one of your hands, bring the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger, as though you are making the “OK” sign. Now feel the thickest part of the “heel” of the thumb, where it joins the palm of the hand. The hardness you feel there is equivalent to a rare steak or chop. Now move your thumb to the second finger. Again, feel the heel of the thumb, and the hardness is the same as medium rare. Third finger is medium, and fourth is well done. When testing the meat, remove it from heat at just before the desired level of doneness, as it will continue to cook as it rests. For this reason, and for the reason of retaining moisture, you should never cut meat that has just been removed from the oven or pan. It is best to let it rest under a tent of foil, so the cooling process can happen slowly enough to not let the moisture all come out of the meat.
In my case, the 25 minutes was perfect for the meat, but the fennel was not quite tender enough, so I tented the meat, and put the fennel in for another ten minutes. While this was going on, I chopped up the fronds of the fennel root, and added them into the rice for another helping of that great flavor.
If I had some oranges or orange juice on hand, I would have added some juice to the rice at the beginning, and perhaps made a glaze of orange and sugar for the meat, but alas, I was out. I will have to remember to buy these together next time! Regardless, the result was a tasty meal, and barely any leftovers.
Yours in Good Taste
Erik Christensen