How to Cut Fennel
Fennel is a vegetable with three distinct, edible portions: the bulb, the stalks and the leaves. Fennel has a taste similar to licorice, and you can either eat it raw or cooked. The leaves can function as an herb in various dishes, while the stalks can flavor stocks and soups. The bulb takes up the bulk of the vegetable and consists of layers surrounding a tougher core that softens when cooked. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Place the fennel on its side on the cutting board. Cut off the green stalks and leaves where the vegatable transitions from green to white.
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Strip the leaves off of the stalks to use them as an herb and slice the stalks to prepare them for use.
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Cut the bulb into slices starting either from the base of the plant or the top to use them raw--or cut them into wedges, either quarters or eighths, for grilling. To chop the bulb efficiently, place the bulb upright on its base. Make parallel cuts into the bulb as if you were slicing it, but don't cut all the way through. Turn the bulb by a quarter turn and make similar parallel cuts as before, this time perpendicular to the original cuts. Lay the bulb on its side and slice all the way through.
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Tips & Warnings
Use a very sharp knife to easily cut through the hardy core.
As is appropriate for all produce, make sure that you've washed the fennel thoroughly to remove any dirt or chemicals.
