Something new: grilled fennel salad

i tried fennel for the first time this summer. it was a big deal. i mean, not a big deal like when i became a US citizen or when i finally parallel parked my car by myself but a big deal nonetheless. i'd been dodging the fennel bullet for awhile because i had heard it tasted like licorice. i hate licorice. my only point of reference is the black licorice candy that coats and sticks to your tongue, bitter and not exactly sweet. the very smell grosses me out. so why in the world would i entertain trying fennel?

i blame the foodnetwork. i followed Racheal Ray closely back in the day, attracted to her angle that cooking, from start to finish, should be around 30 minutes. my type of cooking in general because i'm a girl with a time budget and many other hobbies that require my attention away from the kitchen. Racheal cooked often with fennel, to showcase her sicilian roots. Giada di Laurentiis also plays with fennel often. it's only natural that i would succumb eventually. during a twitter infested night my twitter friend @dorifern posted something about her fave fennel salad. i requested the recipe for use and that became my big deal.

Grilled Fennel Salad
from @dorifern

@dorifern's salad is raw but i decided to grill the fennel, to soften it a bit. my braces-impaired teeth was feeling rather tender.

slice fennel thinly and splash with a bit of olive oil. grill till desired softness. dressing: smashed and minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil & salt to taste. pour over fennel. mix that junx up and enjoy! i was going to shave some parmesan cheese but i didn't have any.

it still tasted wonderful. i don't know if i didn't pick the a "ripe" fennel or the grilling and dressing masked it, but i didn't taste the licorice-ness. it was a fresh taste, still slightly crisp, sweet but with a note of sourness from the lemon juice. it was the personification of summer on a plate.


today's song: Jason Mraz, If It Kills Me