Conference turris::cooks

Well, fennel certainly has an anise-like flavor, but I'm not sure I've ever
seen an anise plant. I don't know about the relationship to the the plant
that produces star anise, either, but judging from the appearance of the
star anise (pod/seed/???) I wouldn't expect that plant to be similar to
fennel.

-Jack

    Yes, Anise and fennel are basicly the same things.  They are both a
    root plant type veggie and when cooked.  They both have a anise flavor
    and can be substituted for one another.
    
    

re: .2

>    Yes, Anise and fennel are basicly the same things.  They are both a
>    root plant type veggie

The only fennel I'm familiar with is more like celery than any root. Are
we talking about the same things here?

-Jack

My Italian almost-mother-in-law uses a handful of the feathery leaves 
in certain dishes (minestrone for example). The leaves look a little 
like dill. You don't need a lot to impart a lovely delicate aniseedy 
seasoning to the dish.

re: -.1 - yes, it looks a lot like a celery, too.

You can eat the 'bulb' raw: just wash it, slice it roughly, pour a 
little olive oil and vinegar over it and crack black pepper on top. 
Fantastic as something to nibble on while you're making Italian food!

~Sheridan~
:^)

It grows wild by the sides of the roads in Sydney, no idea why. They 
say wild fennel is stronger in flavour than the ones you get in shops.

In Italian it's 'finocchio'.

~Sheridan~
:^)

    There are two types of fennel.  Florence fennel, also known as
    sweet fennel (or by its Italian name finocchio), is grown mainly
    for the swollen "bulb" that forms at the base of the plant.  The other
    type is known as herb, or common, fennel.  It produces lovely
    anise-flavored seeds, but no bulb to speak of.
    
    			[From Bon Appetit, April 1994, p136]

They're similar, but definitely not identical. Anise leaves can be used
in place of fennel leaves in some recipes, but they have a much
stronger licorice flavor. In my opinion, in most recipes calling for
fennel, dill would be a better substitute than anise.

Well, this recipe called for 1/2 C sliced fennel bulb.  I used anise
bulb which looks sort of like celery and has a very delicate flavor.  
I cannot imagine dill as a substitute since it is so strong, however, 
I don't like dill as a seasoning anyhow (but I do like pickles...).

So, it sounds like it depends on the type of fennel called for in
a recipe to determine an adequate substitute.  If I follow your
suggestions, then:

1.  Substitute anise bulb for fennel bulb

2.  Substitute dill for fennel leaves?  This one I'm not sure about.

Karen

I agree with your summary.

    Either one,go easy on amounts as the flavour is overpowering.Personally 
    I dont like the taste of liquorice in food.
    Except of course liquorice itself and Pernod!
    La de da...
    Geoff

    Raw fennel (the bulb kind) is great it salads!  It's sweet and crunchy. 
    I like it with red pepper and some strongly flavored not-sweet lettuce
    (romaine, sometimes with spinach too) to offset the sweet of those
    things.
    
    It doesn't mix well with some dressings, though.  I wouldn't want, say,
    thousand island with fennel.
    
    D!

    I've grown bronze Fennel. Its very pretty, seeds itself with promiscous
    zeal and has a strong Aniseed smell. A border with the odd bronze and
    green Fennel plant looks spectacular. I haven't tried cooking with
    bronze Fennel. I don't think I recall seeing a bulb on the Bronze
    Fennel plants I've had.
    
    Angus

My mother (Italian) loves to have some "finnochio" (finn-o'-kia) after a meal
on holidays.  She just eats it plain like celery sticks.

Lauren

    I have also heard that fennel is used as a diet aid.  It suppresses
    the appetite.  
    
    Alona

    
    	I add about a teaspoon of fennel seed to a batch of spagetti sauce.
    	I pour it into my palm, crush it briefly between my fingers, and
    	dump it into the sauce and let it cook for the next two hours.

I found a recipe that calls for fennel bulb.  Can I substitute fennel seed?
This is for a soup, if that makes a difference.

Alternately, where in S. NH would I find fennel bulb?  I looked in the herb
section at the supermarket.  Maybe I should look more in the green leafy
things like beet greens and swiss chard?

  .16  Fennel bulb is a largish white section of the fennel, resembling
       the white part of celery only much wider.  If it's the main
       textural ingredient in the soup, then no, you can't substitute
       fennel seed.  

RE: .16

You definitely want to look in the produce section, amongst the leafy 
vegetables.

--PSW

    And, typically, the grocers label fennel as anise.