I came inside today, armed with a whopper of a fennel that my elderly, yet sprightly neighbour had dug up and given to me. Apparently, it was “a plump, male fennel, bound to be sweet and tasty”. Huh?
While I had noticed a difference in fennel shapes before, the gender bit, was news to me. I chalked the differences down to age, or seasonal variety. Asking around, plus lots of googling (too much), I was met by a glut of opposing views on fennel and gender. Firstly, as to whether the male fennel is plumper, and the female the flatter or, vice versa. Secondly, there seemed to be disagreement as to whether there is a gender difference at all. Were the flowers hermaphrodite?
Head spinning, I abandoned the gender query and instead, went with the one, common thread that seemed to be emerging – that the flatter, elongated fennel bulbs are stringier and less succulent compared to the rounder, plumper ones. Got it.
Fennel, a native to the Mediterranean is a bit of an all-star in Italian cuisine. It can be found raw and crunchy, grilled and charred, roasted, smoked or blended into a fluffy puree. Fennel seeds and fronds are also used generously for their punchy, fresh flavour.
With my neighbour’s gift of a plump, *male* fennel, I made a classic winter salad by combining it with tangy, blood oranges. While there are many versions of this traditional, Sicilian dish, I like it jazzed-up with a little rocket, a few black olives, and a sprinkling of walnuts or toasted pine nuts. If it is to be a main meal, adding some smoked salmon slices, and serving it with some crusty bread creates something even more substantial. Whatever the combo – this salad is just a bomb of taste, texture and tang. Woah!
Fennel and Blood Orange Salad ~ Insalata di Finocchio e Arancia Tarocco
Serves 4 as a side, less for a main meal.
- 2 fennel bulbs, sliced finely
- 3 blood oranges, peeled and sliced, reserving half an orange for juicing
- a handful of rocket
- a handful of black olives, seeds removed
- a handful of walnuts
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar (optional)
Clean the fennel by removing any bruised and tough outer layers. Trim the base from the stalks and set aside some of the fine leaves. Using a paring knife, remove the centre of the fennel if it appears woody. Cut the fennel in half vertically, and rinse under running water, to remove any dirt that may have collected between the leaves, then slice finely.
Toss the fennel, orange slices, rocket, and black olives in a bowl and combine. Using your hands, break-up the walnuts into irregular chunks and add to the mix.
In a small bowl, combine the juice of half of the reserved orange, olive oil, salt and pepper, and if using the balsamic vinegar. Whisk to form an emulsion. Dress the salad with this mixture. Garnish with the fine fennel leaves.
