Sacred Thoughts and How to Use and Prepare Fennel

"A little girl lost a playmate in death, and one day reported to her family that she had gone to comfort the sorrowing mother. "What did you say?" asked the father. "Nothing," she replied, "I just climbed up on her lap and cried with her." ~Charles Swindoll

Several people I care about have lost someone close and very dear to them recently. I am not good with loss such as this. I am always afraid that I will say the wrong thing, or worse still not say enough. Words always fail me. My heart aches for them, and yet my tongue cannot find the words to speak, and I strongly suspect that even if it could, my feeble voice would not know how to express them. I find myself wishing that I could wrap my heart around them as well as my arms, and that they could feel the love and compassion that I hold in there for them. Instead I cry . . . and ache inside for the loss that they must now be feeling.



I've been rather lucky in this life thus far. I have not had to endure the pain of losing someone close to me in that respect. I have lost my dear Aunt, who was like an older sister to me, and my heart still grieves for her absence some two years later. I find myself wondering how much deeper that ache must go for the hole that must be left behind when one loses a mother . . . a father . . . a spouse . . . a child . . . a sibling . . . a friend . . . Thankfully these cold fingers have yet to touch me, and yet I know . . . one day they will.



My Todd has had to endure the pain of losing not one, but two of his beloved children. I cannot bear the thought. It does not seem natural, and yet . . . it happens every day. Each morning and night my prayers are full of my soft pleadings with the Lord to keep my family safe and warm, and thus far he has answered my prayers, and I am ever thankful for that. I cannot imagine how it would feel otherwise and I hope and pray that I never find out. If that day should ever come . . . I hope and pray that someone close to me will have the strength, compassion and love enough to want to crawl into my lap and cry with me. I think that would be enough . . .



On the bright side, Todd and I have been able go to the Temple of Our Lord and have his children sealed to us eternally, making us a forever family, which is one of the tender mercies of our Loving God . . . because families are a gift from above and should not pass away when death do us part. I am ever grateful for that knowledge and for the peace that it brings to my believing heart.

I made the most refreshing salad to go along with our supper last night. It was light and full of delicious flavours. I love the mild anise-like flavour of fennel. Cooked, it's flavour is soft and mellow and just perfect with milder flavoured foods such as fish and poultry. My favourite way to eat it though is raw . . . and crisply shaved, where I can enjoy it's full aniseedy flavour. Amazingly enough oranges and onion go together with it in perfect unison as you will find out if you give this delicious salad a try, and try it you must or you shall be missing out on a real treasure. Fennel is one of those foods that you either hate or love. I am happy to say I'm in the latter group!



*Shaved Fennel with Red Onion, Oranges and Olive oil*
Serves 4

This simple and seriously refreshing salad can be served as an appetizer, side dish or as a palate cleanser. This is best served ice cold. I could just sit and eat it on it's own by the bowlful, and often do. This salad keeps very well for up to 2 days and, in fact, it's flavour is enhanced by doing so.

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and shaved*
1/2 medium red onion, peeled and shaved*
5 TBS of extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of salt
3 oranges, peeled, seeded and sectioned
the juice squeezed from the orange leavings
a handful of fronds from the fennel, snipped into tiny pieces with kitchen scissors
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the shaved fennel, onion, olive oil and salt into a glass bowl and toss together with a fork. Add the oranges, along with their juice and mix in gently with your hands. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Add the fennel fronds just before serving and top each serving with a few grinds of black pepper.

*Note: I use a mandoline on it's thinnest adjustment to prepare the vegetables for this salad. If you don't have one try to cut them as thinly as you can with a sharp knife.

*Tips on choosing, preparing and storing fennel*

How to choose the best:
If possible, go for the smaller, young bulbs, as they're more tender. They should look white, with no blemishes, and feel heavy for their size. The feathery green tops should be fresh and bright, with no yellowing. Did you know that there are male and female bulbs of fennel? The male ones are the longer, more slender bulbs, whilst the female bulbs are the shorter fatter more bulbous ones. I prefer to use the female bulbs. I think they have rather more flavour, however that could just be my prejudice!

How to prepare it:
Wash, then trim off the green tops (they can be used as a garnish). Slice off the shoots and root and peel off the tougher outer layer (if the bulb is particularly young and tender you can leave this layer on). To cook it whole, cut out the tough central core from the bottom, leaving a cone-shaped cavity, or slice if you prefer. Alternatively, chop into quarters and remove the core from each one (but not too much, or the quarters will fall apart).

How to Store it:
Fresh cut fennel should be wrapped in damp kitchen paper, placed in a perforated bag and stored in the fridge. It will last for up to three days.

How to cook it:
Cut into very thin slices for salads (a mandolin is good for this). Boil or steam (up to 20 minutes for a whole head, or up to 12 minutes for wedges). Roast (40-50 minutes).