Time For Fennel

Even though it's autumn you can still make a nice salad. Instead of the usual summery greens, though try fennel. It's big this time of year and makes a wonderful side whether if it's on its' own or with other veggies. Another plus is that it has a distinctive refreshing taste -a perfect foil against heavy main dishes.

Fennel is a bulb like plant usually grown in the early spring , namely June and July. However it's also big around the fall and many Italian homes have a fennel dish at Thanksgiving. It's name is derived from the Latin foeniculum. It's a hardy perennial being an actual herb as opposed to a green .It's been used from India to England where it was included in the pagan Anglo Saxon Tenth Century Nine Herbs Charm, an early medical manuscript. The Greeks called it marathon and it figured prominently in the famed Batttle of Marathon in 490 BC.Fennel has been used to treat everything from modern day hypertension to past century cures for digestive disorders and blood problems.

Fennel itself has a distinctive taste- not unlike anise (which it is often mistaken for). The Times had some lovely salad recipes th e other days for it.These included one with radishes and mushrooms. However a more popular one is a plain fennel salad (which was popularized by the late 60 Minutes journalist Ed Bradley). His recipe includes just cutting up an entire bulb and them dousing it a simple red wine vinegar vinaigrette. This is delicious even when it's a few days old. The fennel is great at absorbing the dressing which leave a tart, fruity aftertaste. Another way of serving it is just cutting up the bulb and stalks and dipping them into a simple oil and vinegar mix. Italians have been doing this for years and fresh fennel is always a big part of Sunday and holiday dinners.

Surprisingly this Spring specialty is a big part of fall dining. make a fennel salad for a refreshing alternative to regular salads. It's like a breath of crisp autumn air!