Fennel Phase

Lately I've been using fennel in just about everything. Sometimes I find myself just ripping off stalks and eating it.

The other day I hit on an especially delightful flavor combination. I'm not including a recipe because I wasn't entirely happy with the texture-- I used too much of the fennel stalk and it ended up being way too fibrous--but I was certainly blown away by the flavor.

I roasted some fennel with some garlic and some cherry tomatoes after tossing them with a little bit of olive oil and salt. Then I squeezed the pulp out of the garlic and pureed it with the tomatoes and fennel, adding some parsley, balsamic vinegar and salt.

I ate it with pasta and I enjoyed it, but I don't think that's necessarily the best way to use it. Let's just call it a work in progress, one that's exciting enough that I felt compelled to share it, even in this form.