New Food Discoveries

I got a lovely new vegetarian cookbook for Christmas, which has kept me entertained for the past two weeks, making numerous of the delicious dishes in the book.

I have also decided to introduce myself to a couple of intimidating fruits and veggies I have not met personally before.

I bought my first fennel bulb.  I have never eaten fennel before, because I  understood that it tastes like licorice, which I abhor!   I cut of a small section of my bulb and added some small bites to a salad I had at lunch. It wasn't horrible  I have not yet experienced the "shaved fennel bulb" salad.  In small bites, it has a mild taste.  I'll see how it goes.  I can always roast it, which completely changes the favor.

A little while ago, I just had my first experience de-seeding a pomegranate.  At least the cookbook described that process, or I would have been clueless about getting those little seeds out.  It was quite an adventure.  I felt like I was shucking oysters and searching for pearls.   Or I was mining for gems.  There's quite a lot of pith,  but thankfully, the seeds fall to the bottom in a bowl of water.

The seeds offer this surprising burst of slightly tart red juice.  They are more than pleasant.  They are like little red jewels, well worth the effort of digging to unearth!

There are not many fruits or vegetables with which I am unfamiliar.    Actually, besides the two mentioned here, I cannot think of any others at the moment.

Growing up, I loved okra, which were plentiful, and we ate it often.  Of course, back then, it was fried.

Believe it or not, okra fried is nothing at all like the slimy stuff in stews.    That's why I am confident that I'll find some way to enjoy a fennel bulb, prepared one way or another!

At least that is my hope.