Preserved fennel- Finocchi sott’aceto

Fennel, oh how I love thee.  I could eat it any which way. 

Typically I love it raw and shredded in salads or roasted with a drizzling of olive oil turning this robust bulb to a tender caramelisation. It is the perfect accompaniment to pork, naturally assisting in cleansing the palette. However fennel does not only lend itself towards pork, it is also favourable with fish. Fennel also tends to marry itself with foods that are orange in colour. Such as orange and fennel salad (search my blog for this recipe), or  roasted carrot and fennel. 

However the other night as a guests at one of my dearest friends house, I encountered for the first time preserved fennel. Presented simply in a salad. The preserving method allows you to enjoy fennel all year round, adding a tangy zing to it's natural aniseed flavour. But most importantly honouring the important crunch. I am surprised that I never encountered the preserving of fennel in Italy, as Italian's are crazy for it.

I enjoyed fennel immensely when living in Italy as it is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, and would rejoice when this wonder would come into season.  Fennel can be dated back to ancient Greek times and can be taken for a long list of medicinal purposes. I often enjoy a centrifuga di finocchio (fennel juice), as part of a tasty cleanse.

such a cute fennel picked straight from my friends orto (vegetable garden) near Florence 

Ingredients (this recipe makes six large jars):
five fennel
two cups apple cider vinegar
two cups of white distilled vinegar
two cups of water 
1/2 cup of sicilian salt
six cloves of garlic
three teaspoons of mustard seeds
three teaspoons of whole peppers
three teaspoons of fennel seeds

1: Steralize jars and lids in boiling water 

2: Cut fennel finely and in slices 

3: Peel garlic and cut in half

4: Combine and boil in a large saucepan the vinegar, water and salt, bring to the boil 

5: Remove sterilised jars and fill with fennel. Half way after filling the jar, roughly add a combination of fennel seeds, pepper and mustard seeds. Also add half a glove of garlic. Repeat and continue filling. Each jar should contain one garlic clove and roughly one teaspoon of mixed seeds.

6: Use a colander and fill the fennel jars with the boiling hot vinegar mixture, allow a 1cm clearance. Seal tightly.

7: Add the tightly sealed jars to a large pot of boiling water and make sure the jars are completely submerged in water. Add the lid and simmer for 20 minutes. This method will ensure that you have successfully preserved the fennel to enjoy all year round.

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