Currabinny Cooks: Three ways to serve up crunchy, aniseedy fennel

Try it with sausages, trout or cheese

Currabinny Cooks July 3rd. Sausage with Fennel and Apple Salad. Picture: Bríd O'Donovan

Many Italians like to end a big meal with sliced raw fennel, also known as sweet anise, convinced that this crisp vegetable aids their digestion. We love its clean liquorice-like flavour and crunchy texture. There are some who do not enjoy these particular qualities, finding the fennel too overpowering or distracting. Like with any strong or unique flavoured ingredient, fennel just needs to be balanced out by pairing it with the right things on a plate. 

One of our favourite ways of eating fennel is raw. We find its texture and flavour are at their most savoury, clean and fresh when used this way. When using raw fennel, it’s important to slice it thinly. Large chunks of fennel can be fibrous, so we like to cut the bulbs lengthwise into slender slivers or crosswise into thin half-moons.