Every year, growers bring their frizzy-headed fennel bulbs to the farmers market. And then they’ve got some explaining to do.
The customers wish to buy this attractive vegetable but have no idea what to do with it. Maybe they’ve brought one home before, only to be stumped, and are now twice shy. So they ask, “What do you do with fennel?”
The answers are well-worn. We’re told to grill it, braise it, sauté it with garlic and olive oil, and otherwise cook the life out of it, because few have the confidence to suggest we eat it raw….