Fennel

Let's talk about fennel, friend, that pale green bulb with the anise smell.

Cut into it and you get that cool, sweet, licorice-like breath rising up at once. No smell, no fennel — simple as that.

How to choose it. Take the bulb in your hand. It must be firm, almost hard, with no give under your fingers. The outer layers should be smooth, tight, pale, almost white at the base. If it feels spongy, or the layers are loose and dry at the edges, leave it on the shelf. Smell it too — a good bulb announces itself before you even taste it.

Some people say fennel is just a milder onion, so you can cook it the same way. No! Bite into it raw and you'll hear the difference: a clean, crisp snap, cool on the tongue, nothing like the bite of raw onion. That mix-up sends plenty of good fennel straight into the pan when it belonged on the cutting board for a salad. Save the raw bulb for slicing thin and eating as it is; keep the stewing for when you want it soft.

Store it loosely wrapped, cook it gently, and let that anise aroma do the talking.