Accidentally Bought Food I Loathe: Anise

Skinny_Mocha

It makes a pretty plant. The butterflies love it. The Monarch Butterflies will eat the plant and then cocoon on it. If you have children (or if you're simple like me and fascinated by this stuff) let it grow and watch the butterflies come, then the caterpillars munching the fennel / anise and then watch them cocoon and turn into butterflies.

Fascinating.

I live in a city apartment, with no outside space for plants. BUT, I would absolutely do that if I could.

Skinny_Mocha

...anise...which tastes like the pain of dead souls...

Bahahahaha! You made my day. :laugh:

Thank you! I do try for "colorful"

Skinny_Mocha

I don't know why supermarkets call it anise. It's fennel. The anise plant looks similar to fennel, but only fennel produces a large edible bulb.


It's funny.... I HATE black liquorice, but I love fennel. Maybe because the flavour doesn't seem overpowering to me as it does in liquorice candy?

I probably buy a couple bulbs of fennel every month, and I eat all of it raw. I really LOVE it! It's one of my favourite raw snacking veggies.

Yes, it definitely smells more like licorice than tastes, but I still couldn't voluntarily consume it again. It's nice to try new things, though!

Skinny_Mocha

Throw it away!

I don't even care for it in those lacy delicate anise cookies...cannot imagine eating it "fresh" ugh

YES. Those awful Jingle cookies look so innocent and festive... then BAM: mace-flavored.

Skinny_Mocha

Just cut it into bite size pieces, do the same with an apple (1 apple to 1-2 fennel), mix, add lemon juice, salt and bon appetit! When I first tasted fennel I hated it and I asked around how people were consuming it, someone described this recipe to me and since then Ii love it. The bitter, salty and sweet flavors go very well together!

Interesting - I may try this with a few other things, too. Thanks!

Skinny_Mocha

I kinda agree that if you don't like it, you don't like it, though I disagree about the flavor being "strong."

You might try it as a pizza topping -- I think that is delicious.

There's a genetic component to taste, i.e. some people can taste flavours that others can't. For me, celery has an extremely strong, vile and overpowering taste and smell, but to other people it has little to no taste at all. There have been genetic studies that have proven that marmite has something in it that only some people can taste, and that this is genetic - they say you either love or hate marmite... those that hate it have the gene to be able to taste this stuff in marmite and hate it. Those that love it find it has quite a mild taste and don't have the genes to be able to taste that stuff in it. It's probably the case with a lot of things. I can't stand the taste of peanuts, and find they have a very strong, overpowering and unpleasant taste.... so it could be the case with the OP being able to taste something in licorice that not everyone can taste... you say it doesn't have a strong flavour.... others on the thread say it tastes like the pain of dead souls. That's how I'd describe the taste of celery with peanut butter spread on it. I quite like licorice, I'd say the flavour is quite strong but not overpowering, and it's not an unpleasant taste, but in my opinion it's a taste that only goes with sweet foods not savory foods.

This is very well put! I have an extraordinary sense of smell, so that probably has a lot to do with it. I don't require many spices, salt, or condiments on my food, and I can taste even the lightest hints of flavor in things.

Skinny_Mocha

It is delicious when cooked in a chicken breast soup with white beans. Just the bulb part, not the stalk. Use chicken stock, onion, carrot, celery, fennel (anise), chicken breast and white beans. Red chili flake. Yum! Also good when cooked with sausage.

Yes, I think this recipe with sausage even sounds tastier. Thank you!

dklibert

I think it loses it's flavor when cooked. Taste more like celery when cooked. Rachael Ray cooks fennel a lot check her site. I will post two recipes I have enjoyed. One raw and one cooked.

Parsnip and Fennel Soup with Dill
Source: Real Simple
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks (white and light green parts), sliced into half-moons
2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
1 large bulb fennel, cored and cut into 1⁄4-inch pieces
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 small baguette, split horizontally
2 ounces grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese (1⁄2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, parsnips, fennel, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Transfer half the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Return it to the pot.

Meanwhile, heat broiler. Place the bread, cut-side up, on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese melts. Cut into pieces.

Sprinkle the soup with the dill and serve with the cheese toast.

Tip: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutritional Information: Calories 477; Fat 13g; Sat Fat 5g; Cholesterol 22mg; Sodium 914mg; Protein 19g; Carbohydrate 70g; Sugar 8g; Fiber 8g; Iron 5mg; Calcium 249mg

dklibert

Fennel, Apple, and Celery Slaw
Fennel has a delicate licorice flavor and adds a pleasant note in this tangy slaw with apples.
Prep: 27 min. Other: 4 hrs.
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 large fennel bulb
2 unpeeled Granny Smith apples, julienned
2 unpeeled Gala apples, julienned
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced

Whisk together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; slowly pour in oil, whisking constantly.
Rinse fennel. Trim stalks to within 1” of end. Discard hard outside stalks. Remove tough core from bottom of bulb. Starting at 1 side, cut bulb vertically into thin shreds.
Add fennel, apple, and celery to dressing, tossing to combine. Cover and chill up to 4 hours. Toss well just before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

You hate black licorice??!?

mallomary

I agree with those who suggest roasting it. I love it in these two recipes, which roast it with chicken and other root vegetables.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-and-fennel-recipe.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-chicken-recipe.html

missiontofitness

I would say to roast it..in a bonfire. And never take it back out.

Skinny_Mocha

I would say to roast it..in a bonfire. And never take it back out.

Hahaha! Indeed.

Skinny_Mocha

You hate black licorice??!?

Skinny_Mocha

I agree with those who suggest roasting it. I love it in these two recipes, which roast it with chicken and other root vegetables.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-and-fennel-recipe.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-chicken-recipe.html

Thank you! I did try roasting, and it helped.

msbunnie68

I use it when roasting pork or pork belly.

Slow Cooked Pork (or Pork Belly)


Get roasting pan just big enough to take the piece of pork you are cooking. Line with alfoil over bottom and just off the sides.
I slice a fennel bulb, 1 sweet eating apple, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and lay them in the baking pan. Pour over 1 cup of a sweet white wine like moscato. Season with black pepper (black pepper brings out the sweetness)

Place pork belly on top of the fennel etc in pan, then drizzle with a good olive oil and season with salt. Tuck the sides of the alfoil in to touch the sides of the piece of pork.

Pop into oven at 250 C for 30 mins then turn oven down to 150 C and cover with foil and cook about 1.5 hours, turning gently about half way through. Top up wine if pan is dry. (and wineglass if you are dry!)

You can take this out of the oven and cool, then place as is into fridge overnight. Reheat on 160C for approx 1 hour the next day and it is very moist and juicy. Use the veges underneath as a sauce by throwing into a blender, or serve on top of sliced pork

edit: if you are using pork belly or pork with crackling then you must NOT cover the pork at all - the crackling and fat will stop it drying out anyway and the crackling will go mushy if you cover.

Skinny_Mocha

I use it when roasting pork or pork belly.

Slow Cooked Pork (or Pork Belly)


Get roasting pan just big enough to take the piece of pork you are cooking. Line with alfoil over bottom and just off the sides.
I slice a fennel bulb, 1 sweet eating apple, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and lay them in the baking pan. Pour over 1 cup of a sweet white wine like moscato. Season with black pepper (black pepper brings out the sweetness)

Place pork belly on top of the fennel etc in pan, then drizzle with a good olive oil and season with salt. Tuck the sides of the alfoil in to touch the sides of the piece of pork.

Pop into oven at 250 C for 30 mins then turn oven down to 150 C and cover with foil and cook about 1.5 hours, turning gently about half way through. Top up wine if pan is dry. (and wineglass if you are dry!)

You can take this out of the oven and cool, then place as is into fridge overnight. Reheat on 160C for approx 1 hour the next day and it is very moist and juicy. Use the veges underneath as a sauce by throwing into a blender, or serve on top of sliced pork

edit: if you are using pork belly or pork with crackling then you must NOT cover the pork at all - the crackling and fat will stop it drying out anyway and the crackling will go mushy if you cover.

Wow, this sounds so good, I almost wish I had some left to try the recipe. Good to have this for future new foods. Thanks!

cpdiminish

Love that other people try new things just for the heck of it too. My rule is that every trip to the grocery store has to include something I've never tried before. I normally only eat real food so this can sometimes be a challenge or is easier in some seasons than others. But yeah, some are a total bust. Others - fantastic.

Skinny_Mocha

Love that other people try new things just for the heck of it too. My rule is that every trip to the grocery store has to include something I've never tried before. I normally only eat real food so this can sometimes be a challenge or is easier in some seasons than others. But yeah, some are a total bust. Others - fantastic.

Yep! I never thought I'd come across the one thing I hate. I think it's good to broaden tastes and not get bored But I also CANNOT throw away unspoiled food, when there are so many starving folks in the world.

Skinny_Mocha

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO COMMENTED! (I hope I replied to you all)

The fennel/anise has been consumed. I will never buy it again, but am glad I gave it an earnest try.

I hope this thread helps future accidental anise/fennel purchases, and/or current anise/fennel lovers.

sunnbunniez

Do you mean fennel? Only the green is really strong, the bulb is great with beef dishes. We like it roasted in the oven.

Skinny_Mocha

Do you mean fennel? Only the green is really strong, the bulb is great with beef dishes. We like it roasted in the oven.

Yeah, it was fennel. The grocery store called it anise by mistake. It's gone now, but I'm going to try some of these recipes on other things! Thanks!