A friend of ours in Bologna (that's in Italy people) writes in that the derogatory word for gay man there is "finocchio," which incidentally is also the same word for fennel. Of course, this was posted on Urban Dictionary two years ago, but we were not blogging back then, so it's irrelevant.Anyway, we did a quick google search to get some info on fennel since it's not used too often in chicken jalfrezi and naan, the only dish we can cook, and what we found made us realize why gay men and fennel are so similar. Be sure to take this info with you next time you head to Chelsea Market or Barracuda.
In your market you will likely find the bulbs. They range from the size of a tennis ball to that of a soft ball (5-10 cm in diameter), and can be either spherical or taper towards the fronds; though there isn't much of a difference in flavor between the two I find that the spherical ones yield more. In any case, when you select fennel pick bulbs that are firm and blemish free; if they have brownish streaks or the outer layer looks somewhat deflated they are likely old or have suffered in transport.And just for the record, the spherical ones definitely yield more.
1 comment:
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) has gone to seed at this time of the year. Daily I walk past mine and think "I must cut that ugly mess to the ground."
(I shall think of you with sympathy as I eat my delicious daal tonight.)
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