Fresh fennel a very versatile vegetable

Recently, I was standing in a check-out line when a woman behind me, pointing to my fresh fennel, asked what it was and how to use it. I said fennel is a vegetable that can be eaten raw, like celery, that it is crisp and slightly sweet with a mild licorice flavor, that it can be steamed and dressed with olive oil or butter and a bit of vinegar (balsamic is ideal).

Or, it can be halved or quartered, brushed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted or grilled until just tender-crisp. It makes a wonderful salad when sliced and combined with sliced peeled navel oranges, dressed, naturally, with virgin olive oil and black pepper (no salt or vinegar). I like it just like that, but some people add onions and olives.

For others who are not familiar with this vegetable, let me say that cooked, it makes a delicious side dish with poultry, fish and meat, especially pork. I often cut a slit in a pork roast or a thick chop and stuff in the feathery green tops and a couple of ribs, sliced or chopped.

Some growers, such as Ocean Mist Farms, ship their product with the green tops intact, but some produce managers cut them off, maybe to accommodate their space. They are also tray-packed. Some mislabel it as “anise,” which is different.

With or without the tops, choose bulbs that are white with no bruises. Store it, unwashed, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge’s vegetable bin. It will keep well for four or five days.

There was a time when you had to wait until late October or early November to satisfy your yen for fennel. Now it’s grown and shipped year-round, though supply is light from June through September. As soon as fennel appeared, my mother would buy it. And, of course, it was a must on our Thanksgiving table, right alongside the celery and olives.

Here is a savory dressing that can be a side dish or a stuffing for poultry, meat or fish. You might want to add your own touches — a chopped crisp apple, a handful of raisins or dried cranberries or a bread other than sliced white.

And, if you want to take the easy way, use two packages of stuffing mix. Follow the package instructions, omit this recipe’s herbs and seasonings and add only the sautéed fennel and onions, after the standing time on the package.

Fresh Fennel Stuffing

1 large bulb fresh fennel

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley (flat-leaf)

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed, OR 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crushed, OR 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 cups cubed day-old French or Italian bread

1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 375 F. Trim top third of fennel green leaves. Cut bulbs in half and cut out core. (Mom always saved that for me.) Slice bulb crosswise, and attached tops. In large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add fennel, onion, parsley, thyme, sage and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until fennel and onion are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Measure bread cubes into large bowl. Add fennel mixture; toss to mix. Pour chicken broth over; toss to mix. Turn into oiled 2-quart baking dish. Drizzle top with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake until top begins to brown lightly, about 25 minutes.