How to cook fennel and its beneficial properties. Fragrant fennel as an independent dish

Fennel can be used in many dishes

Today, an interesting topic for all housewives is fennel recipes. After all, who is not looking for new dishes for their family and guests, and there are no women who would never ask themselves what to do for dinner or lunch. Fennel is a unique natural product and, no, it's not dill, and we won't be making seasonings. Many people use a vegetable regularly, and someone can't even tell what it is. If you accidentally ended up here, then for you we will tell you what fennel is and what its benefits are. For everyone who knows and is looking for recipes, we advise you to go a little lower.

Fennel is not dill

These are two different plants, the similarity is only in the tops externally. The root, which has a shape similar to an onion, stems and greens, is valued in fennel, but the latter does not smell like dill familiar to us, and does not have the same taste. It's something closer to anise. The fruits are often used in cooking, they are very useful. We eat dill only as a tasty seasoning, we throw out the root part. Fennel has been known for thousands of years. Many peoples have their own legends about the plant, about what it can do and how it appeared.

Useful properties of fennel

Again, briefly about the health benefits, because fennel has found application not only in cooking, but also in medicine. Based on it, there are various means, healers often use it as infusions, decoctions for the treatment of various ailments. By regularly consuming a plant and its root-bulb in the diet, you can notice many positive changes in your body. Fennel contains macro- and microelements, vitamins, acids, oils, which together affect the functioning of all organ systems. But we will not go into details, let's already cook delicious meals for the whole family.

The most delicious fennel recipes

With chicken fillet

An excellent dish for those who are on a diet, and for meat lovers.

We will need:

• fennel - one bulb;
• vegetable oil - olive oil is best - 2-3 tablespoons;
• salt - to taste;
• chicken fillet - 800 grams;
• garlic cloves - 3 pieces;
• spices - optional;
• ground pepper - to taste;
• greens - dill, parsley, rosemary (can be replaced with dried);
• broth - 100 grams.

We are preparing a delicious dinner.
We heat the frying pan with oil, chop the fennel into strips and fry, lightly sprinkled with salt, pepper and spices. Frying should occur with constant stirring to get a light crust. Now pour the broth here, it is better to take chicken, simmer for 3-5 minutes under the lid. To give a richer taste, you can add tomato paste.

Now heat the same or another frying pan again, pour oil and fry the chicken fillet on it, pre-salt it, pepper it and sprinkle with dried rosemary. The chicken can be either whole or chopped. You can lightly beat off the fillet, giving it the shape of a steak. At the end of cooking, add finely chopped garlic to the chicken, combine with fennel and broth, cover with a lid until boiling. Then turn off the heat and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. This fennel and fillet dish can be served on its own and served with potatoes, rice or pasta. Topped with fresh herbs before serving, and we move on to the next fennel recipes.

Advice! If you avoid fried, then cook the meat on the grill or in the oven.

Vitamin salad with nuts

A very interesting recipe, few people know for sure such a salad, and you can surprise your guests.

We will need:

• olive oil - 50 grams;
• fennel - one medium bulb;
• nuts - walnuts are best - 100 grams;
• lemon - ½ half;
• mustard - a tablespoon;
• apple, celery - 1 each;
• salt, spices - to taste and desire;
• sugar - it is better to take cane sugar - a teaspoon;
• shallots - 1 piece;
• fresh greens - a little;
• arugula - 200 grams.

Preparing a summer salad.

Grind the nuts, then fry them in the oven for 6-8 minutes without oil at a temperature of 180 degrees. The onion is chopped, we put it in a cup, pour lemon juice here, add mustard, salt and spices to taste, sugar, vegetable oil. Cut the fennel into strips, slice the apple, chop the celery. Pour a little dressing over these three components, stir.

Arugula also needs to be combined with dressing sauce, after which the leaves are placed on a plate, vegetables with an apple are laid out on top. Nuts are mixed with fresh herbs, and the whole mass is poured on top of arugula, a little more salt, pepper and dressing, and you can serve it to the table.

Baked fennel with anchovies

We will need:

• olive oil - 4 tablespoons;
• cheese - any that melts well;
• salt, spices - to taste;
• garlic - 5 cloves;
• anchovies - you need 5-6 fillets;
• fennel - 4 pieces.

We are preparing a delicious dinner.
Wash fennel, cut into two halves. Next, you need to steam the onions. The process will take approximately 30 minutes in time. You can use a double boiler or a special multicooker bowl. The fish fillet needs to be marinated. To do this, squeeze garlic into vegetable oil, pour salt, spices, coat anchovies and let stand for a while.

Lubricate the baking dish with olive oil, lay out the fennel halves, fish fillet on them, put the cheese on top. The dish will be baked at a temperature of 200 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. You can grate the cheese, or you can close the contents with cheese slices, season with a little more salt, pepper and garnish with a sprig of dill or rosemary before serving.

With red fish

Another recipe for baked fennel, this is a very tasty dish for all occasions.

We will need:

• young potatoes - 4 pieces;
• salmon - 700 grams, you can take other red fish;
• cream - 200 ml;
• fennel bulb;
• salt, spices - to taste;
• white wine - 100 ml;
• fennel seeds - 10 grams;
• vegetable oil - for greasing the baking sheet.

We are preparing a delicious dinner.

We clean our potatoes and boil them so that they are still a little hard, that is, half cooked, in lightly salted water. The form in which you will bake the dish, say butter. Now put potatoes on it, fennel rings on it, everything needs to be cut into circles 1-1.5 cm thick. Cut the salmon fillet and lay it on the vegetables. Mix cream, spices, wine, seeds. Fill the form with this filling. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 180 degrees.

Advice! You can sprinkle the finished dish with fresh herbs and parmesan.

Pickled fennel for a snack

There are a lot of variations on how to cook fennel, and, of course, it can be pickled. It turns out a snack that is suitable for all occasions, and you can take it with you anywhere.

We will need:

• fennel - 500 grams;
• peppercorns and mustard - half a teaspoon each;
• water - ½ liter;
• sugar - 2 tablespoons;
• salt - 1 tablespoon;
• apple cider vinegar - 50 ml.

We are preparing a snack.

We chop our fennel, you can take not only the onion, but also the green tops. We prepare the jar - wash, sterilize. We combine all other components, except for vinegar, and set the brine to boil. After boiling, pour in the remaining component. A fennel straw is placed in a jar, everything is poured with brine, twisted with a sterile lid. It is better to store such an appetizer in a cool place, so you can enjoy crispy fennel in winter.

This is interesting! Fennel is widely used in India. There it is marinated both separately and with other components. The seeds are roasted without any additives and then chewed to cleanse the mouth, freshness and disease prevention.

fried with spices

The dish is easy to make, can be used as a component for various salads, can be served with meat, cereals, potatoes. We will make fried fennel this time.

We will need:

• dill - take dried - 10 grams;
• two fennel bulbs;
• butter - 1.5 tablespoons;
• salt, pepper and other spices at will and taste;
• garlic - 2 cloves.

We are preparing a snack.

There is nothing easier - fry fennel in the same way as any other vegetable. We clean the bulbs, the mode is 4-6 parts, you can use thick rings. Melt the butter in a frying pan, crush the garlic through the garlic, pour spices and salt into the oil. Fry the fennel slices until they turn bronze. At the end, we fall asleep with dill.

Salad with dried fruits

Such an unusual vegetable and fruit salad, but it is very useful due to its components.

We will need:

• green apple - one;
• arugula - 100 grams;
• onion - one;
• lemon - we need juice in two tablespoons;
• apple cider vinegar - a tablespoon;
• olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
• salt, pepper - to taste;
• dried apricots - 6 pieces;
• parmesan for sprinkling;
• nuts - 50 grams.

We are preparing a salad.

We clean the apple from the skin, chop it into strips or slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice so that it does not lose color. Put washed arugula, an apple, chopped dried fruit into pieces, crushed nuts, diced onion, fennel in a cup. Now salt the salad, pepper as desired. We make dressing from vinegar, lemon juice, oil, pour salad. Before serving, sprinkle with parmesan and decorate with a sprig of greens or mint.

Advice! Almonds or walnuts work well for this salad.

Soup with meat and vegetables

Soup with fennel should be in the diet, as it is useful, while this option will dilute the usual, and often already boring, menu. Men will like the dish, as the broth will be meat, but you can not use meat. A great option for vegetarians and anyone who is on a diet and counts calories.

We will need:

• two fennel bulbs;
• meat - 250 grams (chicken, beef) to choose from;
• carrots - one medium;
• potatoes - 300 grams;
• white cabbage - 250 grams;
• water - about 2.5 liters;
• bulb;
• greenery;
• celery root - 100 grams;
• salt and spices to taste;
• vegetable oil for frying;
• sour cream for dressing.

We cook soup.

All vegetables are washed, peeled, cut as it is more convenient - into strips, cubes. Carrots can be grated on a coarse grater, can be cut into half rings. We cook meat broth, you can add peppercorns, bay leaf to it for aroma and taste. When the meat is cooked, add potatoes, cabbage and vegetables, cook for 4-6 minutes.

In a pan in olive or sunflower oil, fry carrots, onions, fennel and celery, like a regular fry, only richer in composition. Now we combine all the components, salt, pepper, you can not put other spices, since the broth, so, will turn out to be very fragrant. The meat is cut and put into the soup, languishing for another 2-3 minutes and ready. Garnish with fresh herbs, put a spoonful of sour cream before serving.

Advice! To make the soup more tasty and rich, you can first fry the meat lightly in a saucepan, and only then cook the broth from it.

Fennel Puree

This dish is very tender, it will surprise you with a pleasant taste.

We will need:

• fennel - 3-4 bulbs;
• garlic - 2-3 cloves;
• salt, ground pepper and other spices - to taste;
• cream - we need low-fat - 250 ml.

I'm making puree.

Wash the fennel, clean it, and then cut the onion into pieces. Together with the cream, cook the vegetable until it becomes soft, which can be checked with a knife. Garlic mode into very small pieces or crush through the garlic, add to the pan, remove it at the same time from the stove. Sprinkle salt, spices. We grind everything in a blender bowl, after which we put it in bowls, decorate with a sprig of greens. So we got a great appetizer for meat and fish.

Smoothies

For people who play sports, are constantly on a healthy diet, this smoothie is perfect for breakfast.

• fennel - 100 grams;
• vegetable oil - preferably olive;
• cream - low-fat 100 grams;
• vanilla - half a pod.

We're making smoothies.

Wash, peel and chop our vegetables. Slightly pass in oil, pour in the cream and combine everything with vanilla, simmer over low heat until the fennel is cooked. Put the cooled mass into the blender bowl and beat until a liquid puree. That's all, a healthy cocktail or smoothie is ready. You can adjust the consistency with cream.

Fennel recipes for those who want to try something new. Fennel dishes are dietary and healthy. In fennel, not only herbs and seeds are used for culinary purposes, but also tubers. Fennel greens have a spicy, sweetish aroma, vaguely reminiscent of anise. Young shoots make salad marinades more subtle, and are also readily used in canning vegetables, especially cucumbers and cabbage. Tubers are rightfully popular for cooking fish dishes, more often white (especially carps). However, you can find many recipes in which fennel is combined with poultry or pork meat. In addition, all parts of fennel are used as an additive in soups. Fennel fruits are used to produce medicinal tea, infusion and liquor.

The pulp of fennel is juicy and crunchy, which is difficult to compare with any other vegetable. Fennel is eaten raw, added to salads, stewed, served with meat and fish dishes as a side dish and sauce. They also prepare light and healthy soups. Especially popular

chapter: cream soup

Porchetta is a baked pork roulade following an Italian recipe. It looks very impressive on the table and has a wide range of different tastes. The dish is self-sufficient, you can just serve it with a good green salad. Important when cooking meats

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Dried duck breasts can not be bought, but cooked at home. In addition, spices can be chosen according to your taste. The recipe uses a mixture of ucho-suneli, fenugreek, sweet paprika, fennel and pepper. But you can only be honest

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Khashlama is a dish that cannot be attributed to the first or second. Each housewife has her own recipe, and she serves khashlama in her own way. Khashlama is usually prepared from young veal on the bone. Vegetables are seasonal. And if our tomatoes are not at all sunny, then a ray

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For baking, a piece of pork is suitable - neck, ham or flank. Before sending the meat to the oven, it is marinated in soy sauce, and then coated with ground spices. Plum sauce for meat can be prepared in different ways. This time I offer

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The zucchini season is in full swing and the question often arises, what else to cook from them? I'm not an exception. So after rummaging through a stack of cut-outs, I found this easy-to-make, hearty zucchini, fennel, and walnut pasta recipe. Don't be scared

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Pork tenderloin with romesco sauce for those who are tired of the usual baked pork. Holiday coming up? Then treat the family to a festive dinner rich in spices and rich in the aromas of Spanish romesco sauce. Buy a bottle of pink for this

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Kyufta-shurpa with chickpeas can be translated as "soup with meatballs" or "meatballs". Most of the Turkic peoples under the word "shurpa" means soup. This version of the soup differs from the classic version of shurpa by the presence of “kufta” in it - small lumps

chapter: Meat soups

Salmon stewed with vegetables is both a thick stew and a second fish dish. Before cooking, the salmon fillet is cut into cubes, which are added at the very end to the vegetables already cooked in white wine. The total cooking time of the fish is no more than 10-15 minutes.

chapter: Solyanka fish

Is your daily menu lacking in brightness and color? Diversify it with original salads! The recipes of a member of the Russian Guild of Chefs Alexei Semenov will help you add color to your diet and improve your mood for the whole day, for example, by cooking

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Spices will give the most common products in our latitudes a completely new sound. It was just chicken with pumpkin, but it became Moroccan chicken. I advise you to stock up on the future with a mixture of spices described in the recipe to season it to taste and other dishes. G

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For this lasagna, meat sauce is mixed with bechamel sauce, and each layer of lasagna is sprinkled with grated cheese. As a result, the dough plates are well saturated with sauce, and the dish only benefits from this. For topping, choose any hard cheese.

chapter: lasagna

Chutney is a traditional Indian sauce served at the table to enhance the taste of the main dish. Chutney is served in small quantities with the dish, this sauce perfectly stimulates the appetite and stimulates digestion. Chutneys usually have a pleasant sweetness

chapter: Chutney

A savory version of Parmesan biscuits, which is suitable both for an aperitif with a glass of wine, and just as a snack during lunch or dinner. Before baking, each cookie is garnished with a grain of pepper or fennel and cumin seeds.

chapter: cheese biscuits

For baking, choose a ham - the upper part of the back leg. There are options here - leave the skin or bake without it. The first option is better for me. For a spicy mixture, it is enough to grind the fennel seeds with coarse salt.

chapter: Pork Recipes

If you cook salmon according to this recipe, then you need to be prepared for the fact that grapefruit zest gives additional bitterness. Since pickled fennel and grapefruit are served as a side dish, the taste of the fish is only affected by the aftertaste in the mouth.

Fennel is one of the world's favorite spicy-flavoring plants. There are ordinary fennel, or pharmacy dill (Foeniculum Vulgare Mill.), And vegetable or sweet fennel, Italian (Foeniculum Vulgare ssp. Vulgare (Miller) Thell.)

Fennel is a perennial plant of the celery (umbrella) family, originating from the Mediterranean countries. In the south of Ukraine, in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, in the countries of Central Asia, and quite rarely - in central Russia, common fennel is common. This is a perennial herbaceous plant 1-2 m high, similar to dill. The stem is erect, rounded or slightly furrowed in cross section, strongly branched. The leaves are large, pinnately dissected, green. Yellow flowers are collected in an umbrella. The fruit is a ribbed two-seed, easily breaking into halves. The root is powerful, fusiform, thickened. In this species, greens are eaten, like dill, seasoning meat dishes, salads, soups, and seeds with it.

Fennel fruits are used in baking for the preparation of some types of bread, they are sprinkled with buns, added to pies, puddings, cookies.

For centuries, fennel has been used in medicine to treat indigestion, regulate bowel activity, get rid of flatulence, and more. Known to many, dill water is a fennel product.

As a condiment, fennel goes well with fish, meat and vegetable dishes, it is a good spice for sauces and marinades.

Unfortunately, vegetable fennel is very little known in Russia. True, in megacities in the vegetable departments of hypermarkets you can already buy fennel, but it is still a secret with seven seals. But this most valuable vegetable is one of the "yellow-green" suppliers of beta-carotene. He is "quoted" at the level of parsley, coriander. It is grown all over the world, but in Russia it is almost non-existent.

Vegetable fennel is vitamin C (22-90 mg2), carotene (2.6-10 mg2), rutin (8-9 mg2), mineral salts, sugar, proteins, fiber. In vegetable fennel, both roots and young shoots are used for food; the main thing in it is the thickened, fleshy bases of the petioles, growing together into the so-called "heads of cabbage". They are also sold in hypermarkets. Heads of cabbage are used in raw, boiled, baked, stewed form, and the roots are also stewed, boiled, but more on that later.

Now about varieties

Until recently, there were no varietal fennel seeds - at least in Russia. Variety mixtures were grown, populations obtained from varieties Florentine, Italian large, Pepper, Ogorodny, Bologna, etc.

In "State Register of Varieties 2006" 7 varieties of vegetable fennel and one hybrid have already been introduced. The first variety was Udalets (1996), created at VNIISSOK. Other varieties have been introduced since 2000: Luzhnikovsky Semko (2000), F1 Rudi (2000), Aroma (2002), Leader (2003), Autumn handsome (2003), Soprano (2004). ), Corvette (2005). However, gardeners are mainly available seeds of varieties Udalets (VNIISSOK), Luzhnikovsky Semko and Soprano (Search). Judging by the years of introduction to the "State Register ...", the interest in this culture is obvious.

Agricultural technology

Growing fennel is easy. It prefers neutral, highly fertile loamy soils. The best predecessors are cabbage, cucumber, i.e. unrelated cultures, under which increased doses of organics were introduced. Since autumn, 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium salt (on heavy soils - 30 g of ammonium sulfate, or 20 g of urea) per 1 m2 are added for deep digging.

Fennel is usually grown as an annual crop. It is demanding on light, moisture and soil fertility. Fennel is cold-resistant, so it is sown in early spring at an air temperature of 6 ... 100C, or before winter. For the winter, fennel crops require shelter with peat, humus, sawdust, etc.

Small seeds: 1000 seeds - 3.0-6.0 g; 1 g - 180-350 seeds. 0.8-1.0 g of seeds are sown per 1 m2. They remain viable for 2-3 years. Seeding depth 1.5-2.0 cm. Sowing row with row spacing of 45 cm, or two-line (50x20 cm) or five-line. Seeds germinate slowly - 14-20 days. To designate rows, lighthouse crops are added to the seeds: mustard, watercress, lettuce. A week after germination, fennel crops are loosened between rows to a depth of 5-6 cm. 5-10 days after germination, the plants are weeded, removing lighthouse crops, thinned out by 15-20 cm in a row and foliar top dressing is carried out. In the North-West of the Russian Federation, vegetable fennel is best grown through seedlings.

As the fleshy bases of the petioles of vegetable fennel thicken, the plants are hilled in several stages. Common fennel plants are harvested for greenery when they reach a height of 20 cm, before flowering. They are consumed fresh or dried, salted, etc. Heads of vegetable fennel are harvested when they reach a diameter of 8-10 cm along with the leaves. The yield of "heads", shoots and roots is usually 1.2-1.6 kg/m2.

For winter storage, plants are harvested before the onset of frost with roots, added dropwise in greenhouses or basements.

When cultivating fennel in a 2-3-year-old culture, it blooms in July-August, the fruits ripen in a warm summer in September. They are used for sowing for 2-3 years, or in home cooking, canning, etc.

fennel cooking

Now about the main thing. Alas, many Russians not only do not know how to grow fennel, although the seeds have already appeared on sale; but they don't even know how to cook it. But for all enlightened mankind, fennel is a common favorite vegetable.

Here is my recipe:

Roast fennel. For 4 servings, take 400-600 g of medium fat pork (neck), cut into pieces, fry in vegetable oil over high heat. Wash 4 heads of cabbage, dry and chop into pieces 2-3 cm long, fry in vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lay the meat and fennel in layers in a patch, season with fried onions, spices to taste and simmer until the meat is ready. 3-5 minutes before readiness, season with crushed or dried garlic to taste. Garnish with fennel, cilantro, parsley, basil, etc. before serving.

And here are the recipes that we managed to collect for those readers who are interested in a new promising crop, and they will start growing it:

Fennel salad with apples. Chop a couple of heads of fennel or grate on a coarse grater. Grate an apple with sourness (preferably green) with a peel. Mix the ingredients, add lemon juice, salt, herbs (parsley, cilantro, etc.) to taste.

Fennel salad. Cut fennel, orange and radish into circles, chop green onions, season with herbs, add salt, pour over vegetable oil and mix.

Fennel soup with croutons (serves 2). Cut green shoots of fennel, wash and dry. Fennel head (200 g) cut into strips, put in boiling chicken broth (300 ml), add one chopped onion, salt and spices to taste. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over low heat until softened, about 30 minutes. Cool the soup a little, rub through a sieve, add 150 ml of milk and 1 tsp. lemon juice. Boil.

Mix 3 tbsp. l. yogurt (no additives) or cream, one egg yolk, a little soup. Beat the mixture and pour into the soup, chilled to 700C.

To prepare croutons, cut off the crusts from three slices of bread, cut the bread into cubes. Heat a couple of cloves of garlic in oil, let it brew, then remove the garlic with a slotted spoon, put the bread in the oil, let it soak, then remove and dry on a napkin.

Garnish the warmed soup with herbs and serve with croutons.

Fish with fennel. For four medium-sized (portioned) fish (perch, mackerel, sea bass, etc.), cut the skin crosswise. Grind 6-8 plants (stems and leaves) of fennel. Put the fish on the foil folded in half and fill (2 tablespoons each) with fennel. Put the remaining fennel between the fish. Drizzle the dish with vegetable oil and the juice of half a lemon. Roast over an open fire or grill, turn over once. Salt, spices to taste. Serve the finished fish sprinkled with fennel and garnished with lemon wedges.

Stewed fennel. Finely chop the heads of cabbage, stew until softened with butter, onions and carrots, season with slightly fried flour, pour in a little broth. Before serving, season with sour cream, garnish with chopped fennel leaves or other herbs.

Fennel with tomato sauce. Four small heads of fennel, peeled, washed and cut in half. Set the rest of the greens aside.

Peel and finely chop a couple of small onions. Heat up in a saucepan 2 tbsp. l. olive oil and sauté the onion in it until golden brown. Add chopped fennel, 1/4 tsp to the saucepan. fennel seeds, 180 ml of dry white wine and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Then salt the fennel, pepper with white pepper and put on preheated plates.

Pour the juice of 1 lemon into the remaining broth, add 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste, bring to a boil, boil for a few minutes and pour the resulting sauce on the fennel. Garnish the dish with finely chopped fennel.

Bon appetit and good health!

Vladimir Alekseev,
General Director of Poisk-Petersburg LLC,
Candidate of Agricultural Sciences

Fennel has a pleasant, sweetish aroma and a slightly spicy taste. It is used in a variety of recipes as a vegetable and as an aromatic spice.
The history of the use of fennel goes back to the pre-Christian era and is mentioned by the ancient Greeks, who revered fennel for its healing properties.

Cooking fennel does not require much skill.

How to choose and use fennel

1. When choosing fennel, give preference to plants with bright green stems, dense and elastic to the touch, but by no means sluggish and soft. If you are not going to cook fennel on the day of purchase, then know that it can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, preferably in paper bags.

2. Before cooking fennel, a small onion should be separated - just separate the white part of the stem from the green one. The stem and leaves can be saved for later use in soups and other dishes, as a garnish or condiment, we will prepare an onion with stolon.

3. Fennel can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw it has a more pronounced mint-dill taste, cooked fennel is more delicate and mild in taste. Regardless of how you cook fennel, it is cut in the same way. Cut the onion into four wedges, remove the inner core and tough outer leaves. Each of their quarters, in turn, is finely chopped.

4. Fennel uses fennel roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and even seeds.

Dishes with fennel. Fennel in the cuisine of the peoples of the world

Fresh fennel leaves in European cuisine are often added to salads, first and second courses of vegetables and fish, as well as sauces and mayonnaises. The combination of this spice with salmon, sardines, mackerel, perch and other sea fish is especially popular. Fennel also makes a great addition to fatty meats, especially pork. In Italian cuisine, it is often marinated. Among other things, whole fennel leaves are placed under meat, chicken, fish when baking.

Blanched and chilled fennel stalks are often used as a side dish in Mediterranean cuisine.

The tops of the fennel blossoms are used in home canning. They improve the aroma of marinades used for pickling tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, squash and other vegetables.

Green fennel seeds are added to fish dishes such as canned herring, Italian-style pork, sausages, and sometimes veal dishes. They are used in soaking dried figs, in baking bread and biscuits. Ground fennel seeds are used to sprinkle meat that will be roasted on a spit.

Raw chopped fennel can be mixed with citrus fruits for a light, healthy salad. Fennel with apples and nuts is also good. Roasted fennel can be used as a vegetable addition to various recipes for pizza, meatball soup, and baked fish. Fennel is stewed in olive oil, slightly salted, for 15-20 minutes at a temperature of 200 C.

In various forms, fennel is used in the preparation of sweet dishes and desserts.

Fennel and Indian cuisine

Separately, it is worth talking about the use of fennel in Indian cuisine. It is often used when pickling vegetables, added to dishes made from lamb. Fennel seeds are fried in a frying pan without oil before use. Such heat treatment allows you to make the spice more sweet and fragrant.

Toasted fennel is great for freshening your breath, so you can chew it after every meal. Fennel not only helps eliminate bad breath, it also has a positive effect on the digestion process. This plant is an essential ingredient in the famous spicy mixture "panch foron".

Fennel in the food industry

In European countries, this spice is used in the industrial canning of fish, the manufacture of sausages.

The fruits and roots of the plant have long been used in baking bakery and some confectionery. Ground fennel seeds serve as a raw material for vegetable oil, which is used in the confectionery industry.

Fennel fruit powder is added to various drinks, teas, syrups to improve their flavor. In addition, it is used to flavor alcohol.

Vegetable soup with fennel

To prepare the dish you will need:

• fennel (petiole) - 1-2 pcs.
• celery (root) - 100g
• leek - 100g
• carrots - 100g
• potatoes - 300g
• vegetable oil - 50 ml
• salt to taste

Cooking:

Cut the well-washed leek into small cubes, and the separated and washed fennel stalks into large pieces.

Washed and peeled carrots and celery turn into thin long sticks. Saute all vegetables in vegetable oil for about 3 minutes.

Cut the washed and peeled potatoes into long sticks, pour boiling water over them and cook first for 5 minutes, and then, after adding the sautéed vegetables, for another 3 minutes. Salt.

The soup is served with sour cream or fresh cream. If desired, freshly squeezed carrot juice and crushed walnut kernels can be added to it.

Pizza with fennel, thyme and pickled olives

A very simple pizza recipe from ready-made dough, which must first be defrosted.

To prepare the dish you will need:

• pizza base (prepared dough)
• black olives marinated in oil and herbs – 50g
• olive oil - 2-3 tbsp.
• fennel - 1 pc.
• crumbled goat cheese without rind - 100g
• sea ​​salt - 1 tsp
• thyme (leaves) - 2-3 pcs.

Cooking:

Marinate the olives in a jar of chopped Provencal herbs and olive oil.

Preheat the oven to 220 C. Grease the pizza base with olive oil.

Heat a frying pan with olive oil, add fennel and fry for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Then remove the fennel from the pan and spread over the pizza along with the olives and goat cheese.

Drizzle everything on top with another tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and thyme and cook for 10-15 minutes for thin or 15-20 minutes for thick dough.