557718 Mon Sep 15 19:38:10 -0700 2008 25 31 Home Cooking 0 4038002 So I picked up this tin of fennel pollen at the Park Slope Food Coop and I have to tell you it tastes delicious on its own. It's like a much smoother anise. I'm curious are there recipes for this exquisite male reproductive flora? Off hand I'm thinking it can be made into a light syrup for ice cream or fresh mozzarella. Mon Sep 15 19:38:10 -0700 2008 15393 bigmackdaddy 1 4038033 Use it to season porchetta. It's part of the traditional Chinese pharmacopoeia, so you can buy it from Chinese herbalists where it will be fresher and less expensive. I can't recall its medicinal use. Mon Sep 15 19:51:34 -0700 2008 4038002 10039 Melanie Wong 1 4038044 Fennel pollen is also a traditional ingredient in Tuscan cooking. Try it in a seasoning rub for roast chicken or pork. I was just looking through Batali's Babbo cookbook at a couple of recipes - one where he rolls balls of goat cheese in fennel pollen as an antipasto, and a goat cheese tortelloni with a butter/fennel/orange sauce finished by sprinkling with fennel pollen. Mon Sep 15 19:56:26 -0700 2008 4038002 10271 Rubee 1 4041652 Applications for fennel pollen range from dusting over pizza, pasta and risotto to rubbing on wild salmon or roasts. It can be that extra special ingredient in seafood stews, salads, added to bread dough or used to dress olives. The spice is even used in sweet dishes ranging from apple pie to fig and fennel pollen truffles. But with that said, it's very hard to find recipes using fennel pollen, if you come across a good one - please share! Wed Sep 17 08:50:29 -0700 2008 4038002 190918 Emily Adamson 2 5164990 My first time eating fennel pollen was dusted over pizza, and it was absolutely divine. I highly recommend trying it. Sun Nov 08 09:13:26 -0800 2009 4041652 75881 vorpal 1 4041799 I use a lot of fennel pollen. I like it sprinkled on pop corn with sea salt, scrambled eggs, pork chops, on top of thick soups like potato chowder, and in desserts like olive oil cakes. Wed Sep 17 09:29:08 -0700 2008 4038002 216564 nicholeati 2 5161575 these ideas are making me go to my local Chinese medicine store (closer than the Italian deli) first thing tomorrow. Fri Nov 06 12:23:04 -0800 2009 4041799 22624 relizabeth 1 4041998 I mix a little with cornmeal to dust my peel before putting bread / pizza on a baking stone. It really adds another dimension to the breads. Wed Sep 17 10:44:04 -0700 2008 4038002 108111 gatorfoodie 1 4042177 I added a few pinches to my French press. The coffee came out pretty good. I will also try using it as a rub on a pork butt I just acquired. Thanks for the info and suggestions...keep 'em coming. Wed Sep 17 11:45:26 -0700 2008 4038002 15393 bigmackdaddy 2 4307327 holy cow, how did I miss the fennel pollen? Is it still there? I see it on cooking shows but never in person.... mackdaddy, did you know the coop's product blog is on twiiter now? https://twitter.com/foodcoop Thu Jan 08 09:04:14 -0800 2009 4042177 11989 pitu 3 4313578 I have enough trouble with Facebook much less Twitter. I haven't seen the fennel pollen for awhile now. Luckily, I'm a glut and stocked up on a few tins. You should ask Joe Holtz (?) to get more. So far, Pitu, I'm sorry to say I've only used it in my French press and not on any meats. I promise to change that. Sat Jan 10 08:28:51 -0800 2009 4307327 15393 bigmackdaddy 4 4313670 You've been making tea with fennel pollen?? Yuri Weber orders the endcap items like that. I'll hunt him down.... On the syrup front, I can heartily recommend fresh fennel as the base in your simple syrup for cocktails (or sorbet, I guess) Sat Jan 10 09:10:47 -0800 2009 4313578 11989 pitu 5 4314410 Coffee my dear not tea. Although tea does sound interesting. Sat Jan 10 13:56:18 -0800 2009 4313670 15393 bigmackdaddy 1 4307418 Bill Buford talks about fennel pollen in his book, "Heat," as a "secret ingredient" used by Italian chefs, including Mario Batali. As I recall, it seemed to be used in small quantities for pasta dishes. Anyway, I had never heard of this ingredient until I read the book. Apparently, it is a lot more available in the United States than I thought. It is interesting that it is available at Chinese pharmacies, too. Thanks, Melanie Wong! Thu Jan 08 09:29:14 -0800 2009 4038002 22427 gfr1111 2 4313829 This is very interesting. Melanie: What is the name in Chinese? Can anyone give a confirmed source in NYC Chinatown? I bought home a jar of pollen from Extremadura, Spain a few years ago; it is still sitting on my kitchen shelf because I have no idea how to use it..it is not fennel pollen,though. Does anyone have any idea about this--the name on the jar is EL TIO PICHO Polen de Flores, (flower pollen) from Las Hurdes. http://www.camaracaceres.es/empresas/763/index.html Sat Jan 10 10:10:22 -0800 2009 4307418 12618 erica 3 4677948 I am not aware of fennel pollen in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. We use fennel seed which is sometimes translated as fennel fruit and is called xiao hui xiang. Melanie, if you know of anything different, please let me know! Tue May 12 15:51:06 -0700 2009 4313829 64453 hungryhyena 4 5019728 I checked again, this time with my doctor's partner. We looked it up and you're right. Fennel pollen is not part of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, just the fennel seed/fruit. but I'm more bummed to not have an easy source! Thu Sep 10 11:29:20 -0700 2009 4677948 10039 Melanie Wong 1 4314479 Fennel Pollen goes well with seafood and game (duck, lamb, etc.) It's great to make pork and fennel sausage too! You can also use it in baking muffins or scones. Sat Jan 10 14:21:24 -0800 2009 4038002 54254 kobetobiko 1 4332240 I've only used it with fish and now all these ideas! I bought mine at Surfa's in Culver City. Unfortunately, it's very expensive. Fri Jan 16 10:42:07 -0800 2009 4038002 171214 spm 1 4375591 I just caught an episode of "Secrets from a Restaurant Chef" on Food Network where she brined and grilled pork chops encrusted with fennel pollen. My mouth was watering: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/brined-pork-chops-with-soft-parmigiano-polenta-recipe/index.html I just might not wait for my next work shift to shop at the Co-op. Sat Jan 31 10:56:37 -0800 2009 4038002 262070 MarleneB 1 4852726 Have you tried your Fennel Pollen on pork or poultry, yet. It is great on steamed or baked squash. Even on fruits. Sun Jul 12 23:36:56 -0700 2009 4038002 271826 janine1m 1 5019740 I have been wanting to make this recipe from Wine Spectator's July issue, but can't seem to find fennel pollen. It looks so good! GRILLED STRIPED BASS WITH FENNEL SALAD AND GRAPEFRUIT EMULSION 2 cups freshly squeezed grapefruit juice 1 tablespoon honey ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 8-pound striped bass 4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fennel pollen Salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 baby fennel bulbs, thinly sliced on a mandolin 3 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds 4 ruby red grapefruit, membranes removed and segmented 2 tablespoons mustard oil 1. Preheat an outdoor or stovetop grill to medium heat. 2. Prepare the vinaigrette: In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the grapefruit juice and honey until well combined. Whisk in 1?3 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper; set aside. 3. Prepare the striped bass: Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the striped bass. Dust each side of the fish with 2 tablespoons of fennel pollen and season with salt and pepper. Grill the striped bass for 7 to 8 minutes on each side. 4. Assemble: While the fish is on the grill, add the fennel, fennel fronds and grapefruit segments to the vinaigrette and mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the striped bass to a long platter; using tongs, place the fennel salad over the fish. Carefully spoon the remaining vinaigrette over the salad. Drizzle the mustard oil around the fish and sprinkle with the remaining fennel pollen. Serve immediately. Serves 6. Thu Sep 10 11:32:21 -0700 2009 4038002 19917 Rizza 1 5019874 I live in Northern California where wild fennel grows everywhere as a weed. I collected a half cup or so of fennel pollen recently. I cannot imagine using 4 Tablespoons in a recipe. The stuff I collected fresh has a dominating fragrance/ flavor. Thu Sep 10 12:16:13 -0700 2009 4038002 41181 Rhee 2 5161251 Hi Rhee, I live in Cambria, CA and we also have a ton of wild fennel growing like weeds. I was so excited about collecting some, and then read somewhere that wild fennel should not be eaten, have you cooked with the fennel itself, or just the pollen? Fri Nov 06 10:47:41 -0800 2009 5019874 1098078 debs20 3 5161580 When I was a wee child, my mother and I would walk in Berkeley and she would pick up wild fennel leaves for me to munch on. It is still the taste of comfort for me. Now, I have a dinky little plant growing outside which I nibble on when leaving and entering our house. Fri Nov 06 12:24:54 -0800 2009 5161251 22624 relizabeth 3 5161953 People have recommended not collecting fennel pollen from plants near roadways because herbicides sometimes are used there and there may be high levels of particulate pollution that would settle on the plants. That sounds like good advice, but I've never heard of wild fennel being dangerous in and of itself. Fri Nov 06 14:20:15 -0800 2009 5161251 53530 Zeldog