When shopping for fennel, judge its freshness based on the greens, which should appear healthy, like a well-tended plant. If the greens have been removed, examine the bulb– it should be firm, unbruised and shiny. Here now is how to peel and slice a bulb.
Step 1) Using a sharp chef's knife, slice the feathery green stalks off the top of the bulb. Reserve.
Step 2) Slice off the hard, circular base of the bulb, being careful to leave some of the root intact– it will help keep the vegetable together while you slice it.
Step 3) Run a vegetable peeler up and down the bulb, removing the tough outer layer in vertical strips. When complete, the bulb should appear mostly white with just a few light-green veins. If the fennel is not fresh, you may need to remove the rubbery outer layer to reveal moist, white flesh.
Step 4a) Align your knife with the fennel's wider axis and slice the bulb in half.
Step 4b) Using a paring knife, make a triangular incision near the bottom of each half of the bulb to remove the tough core.
Step 5) For a salad, stir-fry or coleslaw, julienne slices will work. Separate the layers of fennel and cut them in half vertically. Chop in quarter-inch intervals to produce strips.
And speaking of bulbs, when riding in the back of my limo, parents often let their kids monkey with the interior cabin lights. Please don't do that, folks; it's very difficult to change those tiny halogen bulbs with my bad back. Give your kids the DVD remote, for crying out loud.
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