Fabulous fennel and ..snow leapard melon sorbet.
In 1824, Thomas Jefferson received a packet of seeds from overseas for his experimental garden in Monticello. The seeds, fennel, were sent by Thomas Appleton, the then consul of Italy, and they came with the following note:
“The fennel is, beyond every other vegetable, delicious....there is no vegetable that equals it in flavor. It is eaten at dessert, crude, and with or without dry salt. Indeed, I preferred it to every other vegetable or to any fruit. I think they will all thrive in your climate.”
Thrive they did, still it took more than a 100 years for Americans to embrace fennel, which in addition to being delicious, is also extremely versatile, and generous, as it can be eaten raw, steamed, roasted, sautéed and grilled AND every part of this vegetable, from the dense bulb to its its frilly fronds, is both edible and aromatic.
Enjoy it raw, sliced into thin "sticks,"along with white turnips or carrot sticks, to dip into your favorite AYA Hummus or to use as a swizzle stick in any cocktail. Or shave it into thin slices as a fantastic base or addition to any summer salad. If you're getting a little bored with summer squash or zucchini, try combining it with fennel in this late-summer salad. The two vegetables are in complete flavor and texture sync which is why you find so many recipes blending the two. Shaved fennel is also fantastic in a slaw, with or without cabbage. Try this simple fennel slaw to accompany your favorite burger (turkey,chicken, beef or lamb) from R&M Farm.
Fennel also bounces beautifully off braised meats, as in this recipe for braised sausage and fennel with toasted spices. Quality sausage is something we have plenty of at the market this year, from R&M Farm, to Letterbox Farm, to Goode & Local, which also sells a fennel sausage. Take your pick!
Fennel also marries beautifully with fish. If I’m serving a simple baked or poached fish, I like to steam quartered fennel bulbs and serve them with a drizzle of Agape EVOO, laced with coarse salt and their minced fronds.
If I'm baking a fish, I'll sometimes put the fennel fronds in the baking pan and lay the fish on top to add more flavor. If I’m poaching or steaming my fish I always put the fronds in the poaching water or the steamer. I’m thinking of adding Pura Vida shrimp or buttery scallops to this lemony fennel risotto. Or this salmon burger with its own fennel slaw.
As you can see, that was quite a gift Jefferson received.
Speaking of gifts, we are happy to bring you not one but two special vendors this week: The Dough Nation Pizza Truck will be slinging market pies from their wood-burning oven on wheels. AND, it’s official, we have a special ice cream vendor popping-up: Unofficial Ice Cream Co. will be visiting us for the day, courtesy of Le Roux Trading Co. This is not your mother’s ice cream. Expect flavors like: Tallow ice cream, with plum ripple, Toasted polenta ice cream with berries and lemon curd, Snow leopard melon sorbet and Golden raspberries & cream.
You can say this about the Hastings Farmers Market...we’re never boring!
A heads up that Matt, our trusty knife sharpener has requested the day off this week. Of course, it was granted. If you are desperate for sharp knives to cut into all those melons pouring into the market this week... you can head to the Irvington Farmers Market on August 24th. Matt will be back at his post in Hastings no September 20th. Yikes. Summer really is winding down.
All the more reason to....see you at the market!