My first memories of fennel were the candied pieces my mum would bring home from the Indian grocery store. As the years have gone by I have realized that fennel seeds are not only found in candy form and are not just used for Indian chai.

My experimentation began by using copious amount of fennel in my chai…I loved chewing on the little seeds. This obsession turned into a desire to incorporate the exotic flavour into as many foods as possible.

I started buying fresh fennel bulbs and creating salads with it. Slicing it very thinly and tossing it with watercress leaves in orange vinaigrette was a wonderful salad. I also began using fennel seeds, gently toasting them in a pan, and adding it to salad dressings with garlic and fresh black pepper. Another great way to incorporate fennel into your meal is to roughly chop the fennel bulb tossing it in olive oil, salt and pepper and roasting it in the over or on the BBQ.

I owe my introduction to fennel to my mum…as well as my most secret way to incorporate fennel into my meal. She always used to grind up the seeds in a mortar and pestle adding it too pizza sauce giving the sauce a subtle anise flavour.

How have you used fennel?