THE PLEASURE OF EATING
Discover the wonderful taste of fennel
PRISNA BOONSINSUKH
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| Smoked salmon and fennel salad. |
Prawn and fennel cocktail. |
Pork and fennel roast. |
Fennel soup with orange cre{aci}me frai{aci}che. |
It's impolite for a food column called "Pleasure of Eating" to dwell too much on food scandals that cause death and misery, but to be able to eat with pleasure, one should be aware of the quality of the food, and that means knowing something about where it comes from and how it has been treated on the way to our kitchens. In my own small way I am fighting public indifference and point out, whenever appropriate, the food frauds committed with full legality and with great potential to insidiously undermine our health. Books like Swindled: From Poison Sweets to Counterfeit Coffees - The Dark History Of Food Cheats, by Bee Wilson, will get my money every time. She digs deep into the history of additives, substitutes and manipulations of food from 1800 to the present.
Although tales of horror of any kind provide a grim entertainment value, I find historic cases of actual toxic substances that kill hundreds of people at a time less terrifying than present day slow and drawn out damage being done by chemical additives, all permissible by law, to enhance taste and colour of food and to prolong shelf life. There is nothing illegal in a certain fast food establishment selling a strawberry-flavoured milkshake, which contains no strawberries but which contains instead more than 40 factory-made chemicals, among them ethyl nitrate and amyl butrate. A public relations sleight of hand has now redefined monosodium glutamate. It is no longer a chemical but a natural expression of umami, a newly discovered addition to the basic four tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Umami is a Japanese word meaning savoury, a deliciousness common in meat, cheese, stock and other protein-heavy foods. The action of umami receptors explains why foods treated with MSG often taste "heartier".
I fully concur with Wilson in her conclusion that we buy fresh ingredients and cook them creatively, avoiding packaged snacks and fast food. But sadly even that sound recommendation contains a sting in the tail. She admits that the meat and vegetables available to most of us are "quasi-industrial products, hybridised, depleted of nutrients". I may be naive, but I persist in my belief that Thailand is not as far advanced as the West, that most fresh ingredients are still quite innocently fresh, or at least not too cunningly tampered with. For this reason and for economic reasons as well, I buy the much smaller Doi Kum fennel bulbs rather than the fat and fleshy US ones to cook with for today's feature starring fennel, although I did buy the much more expensive US fennel for the purpose of showing you the difference.
It's true that most Thais do not know fennel. But the fact that Doi Kum grows them bodes well for its more widespread recognition in the future. Fennel is a bulb vegetable with a distinctive licorice flavour and sweet aroma. It can be eaten raw or cooked. Fennel seeds and ground fennel are dried spices with a warm aniseed flavour that intensifies when cooked. When eaten raw, fennel gives a fresh, cool crunch. Forget the prim, proper and boring smoked salmon and buttered bread, throw in a handful of fennel and some mustard flavoured dressing, and reawaken the somnolent staple of the hors d'oeuvre menus. The only thing you have to remember when eating raw fennel is to slice it as thinly as possible, as large chunks of fennel can be fibrous.
Moving on to another favourite first course, the shrimp cocktail. The addition of fennel, blanched and seasoned with sugar, salt, pepper and lime juice, gives a tremendous kick to the staid old stand-by, and when arranged in elegant stemmed glasses, the prawn and fennel cocktail will put glamour back onto any dining table. A fennel soup will also make a lot of jaded soup enthusiasts perk up. This recipe uses both fresh fennel and fennel seeds with some potatoes and leeks to balance the texture, and hints of orange for extra aroma. The mixture is pure'ed into a smooth, velvety soup elegant enough for a party.
Pork and fennel roast provides a substantial main course. This calls for a good big piece of pork shoulder to be braised in white wine with sliced fennel and chunks of apple. After two hours in a slow oven, the meat is fragrant and tender while the fennel and apple, although much softened, retain their shape and do duty as delicious accompaniment.
Give a fresh ingredient like fennel a chance to undo some of the damage done by the food frauds of our time. By the way, the number of fennel bulbs required in these recipes are geared to locally grown smallish bulbs. If you use imported ones, adjust accordingly.
Smoked salmon and fennel salad
To serve 4
Ingredients: 3fennel bulbs, trimmed (saving any fennel top feathery sprigs)
1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
200g sliced smoked salmon
Preparation:
1. Slice the fennel paper-thin. Whisk together the whole-grain mustard, honey, lime juice and olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Add the fennel to the dressing and begin to divide among the plates, tearing the smoked salmon slices into strips and adding as you arrange the salad.
2. Sprinkle fennel sprigs on top.
Prawn and fennel cocktail
To serve 6-8
Ingredients: 4fennel bulbs, trimmed
1 Tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp salt
juice of 1 lime
500g cooked, peeled king prawns
handful of tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
handful of Italian parsley, roughly chopped
6small handfuls mixed salad leaves
2limes, each cut into 4 wedges
- Rouille
1red chilli, deseeded
1garlic clove
pinch of saffron strands
250ml mayonnaise
Preparation:
1. Rouille: Use a pestle and mortar to mash chilli and garlic to a smooth paste. Bring the saffron to a simmer with four tablespoons of water. Stir saffron water, garlic and chilli into the mayonnaise and put in the fridge until ready to use.
2. Cut the fennel into quarters, remove the cores and slice as thinly as possible. Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the fennel for a minute until just wilted. Drain and tip into iced water. Drain again and use a cloth to wring out all the excess water, then leave in the fridge.
3. Assemble: Season the fennel with sugar, salt, a good grinding of pepper and the lime juice. Cut most of the prawn in half, saving a whole one for each serving. Mix the chopped prawns into the fennel, then add the parsley and tarragon and enough rouille to bind everything together. Half fill six to eight martini glasses loosely with the fennel mix. Place the mixed leaves on top, then a whole prawn, then drizzle with the fennel juices that will have collected at the bottom of the bowl. Serve straightaway with a wedge of lime.
Fennel soup with orange
creme fraiche
To serve 4-6
Ingredients: 1small leek (white and pale green parts only), halved and thinly sliced
3garlic cloves, finely chopped
11/2 tsp dried fennel seeds
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1medium potato, peeled and cut into 1/2in. (1.2cm) pieces
4medium fennel bulbs, stalks discarded, reserving fronds and bulb cut into 1/2in. (1.2cm) pieces
1,250mlwater
100g creme fraiche or sour cream
1 tsp grated orange zest
Preparation:
1. Cook leek with garlic, fennel seeds and one teaspoon salt in three tablespoons oil in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add potato, fennel and water to leek mixture and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Pure'e soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Return to saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Chop one tablespoon fennel fronds and whisk together with creme fraiche and zest. Serve soup with orange creme fraiche.
Pork and fennel roast
To serve 8
Ingredients: 2kg pork shoulder in one piece, tie at intervals to keep shape while cooking
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried fennel seeds
20g unsalted butter
2garlic cloves, crushed
2fennel bulbs, trimmed, sliced
3green apples, cored, sliced
350ml dry white wine
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 160C/fan 140C. Rub pork with some oil, salt and fennel seeds. Heat remaining oil in a flameproof baking dish over high heat. Add pork. Cook, turning, until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, garlic and fennel to dish. Cook, stirring, until tender. Add apple and wine. Bring to the boil. Cook, scraping base with a wooden spoon, for one minute. Add pork. Cover. Transfer to oven. Roast for two hours or until pork is cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. Cover. Rest for 15 minutes. Serve with fennel mixture.
FENNEL TRIVIA
Fennel was one of the three main herbs used in the preparation of absinthe, an alcoholic mixture which originated as a medicinal elixir in Switzerland and became, by the late 19th century, a popular alcoholic drink in France and other countries. Due to the belief that absinthe possessed psychoactive properties beyond those of alcohol, it was banned in most countries by 1915, but a recent relaxation of laws governing its production, importation and sale has caused a moderate resurgence in modern day consumption. Fennel itself is known to be a stimulant, although many modern preparations marketed under the name 'absinthe' do not make use of it.
Fennel seeds are sometimes confused with those of anise, which are very similar in taste and appearance, though smaller. In India, it is common to chew fennel seeds (or 'saunf') as a mouth-freshener.
In Greek mythology, Prometheus used the stalk of a fennel plant to steal fire from the gods. Also, it was from the giant fennel, 'Ferula communis', that the Bacchanalian wands of the god Dionysus and his followers were said to have come.
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