Fennel

“I know I know cabbage is the hot vegetable of 2026 - but fennel is eternal. The sweetness when caramelized, draped over pizza, shaved paper thin with good vinegar, with stewy white beans, raw and crunchy after dinner as a digestif. Give it to me any way. It's also dear to my gay Italian heart because believe it or not, the word for f*ggot in Italian is finocchio, aka Fennel, so in a way I get to reclaim it with every delicious bite.”

“I have done things to fennel that no one could dream of. Imminently versatile, always delightful.”

“I make shaved fennel salads for entertaining constantly, but they’re the best this time of year. I brought one to a potluck last night and got some of the greatest cooking compliments of my life. Shave some fennel on the mandoline and it is immediately a great vehicle for stone fruit, nuts, herbs, and a fun dressing. last night’s: fennel, spicy green sauce (a fridge staple), pine nuts, quartered cherries, hibiscus flowers that had been rehydrated and then soaked in champagne vinegar, tarragon, mint, cilantro, parsley, more pine nuts, and a hibiscus vinaigrette made with the champagne vinegar that had been in with the jamaica”