Fennel Pollen

[momoreg]

That sounds great!

[mudbug]

Any recommendations for substitutes for fennel pollen?

[Dlee]

cchiu,

I have not tried fennel pollen yet but substitutes might be something like; fennel bulbs that are sauted then deglazed and the liquid reduced. or Pernod.

D.Lee

Here is a cheaper source for fennel pollen for those of you who are interested:
http://www.fennelpollen.com

[Isa]

If fennel pollen is so good, why not use pollen from other vegetables?

[This message has been edited by Sisi (edited 01-17-2001).]

[shroomgirl]

HMMMMM~ I'm having a chef/farmer/seed catalog meeting Mon night, I'll ask the guys about various pollens. They'll think I'm really nuts.

Sisi:

Good question. Might make for some interesting experimentation.

[catciao]

Hi everyone,

I just returned from a week of cooking in Italy with some great Tuscan chefs and for the first time have been turned on to Fennel Pollen. In fact, after having a personal tour of the market in Florence I brought home a 2 oz. vacuumed sealed bag of this heavenly golden-green dust. I have made the traditional roasted pork loin where I prepared garlic, rosemary, fresh sage, salt and fennel pollen in a mezzulina and used this as a rub for the loin. I cut into the loin to added more before tying it together as one of the chefs taught me. The butcher in the market prepares this mixture daily and keeps a huge jar of it behind the counter. I now make a batch weekly and keep it in my fridge for sprinkling or rubbing on just about anything. I have searched the net for recipes for fennel pollen and most are dated as old as this thread but I've just noticed some menus including fennel pollen recently. Could it be that fennel is just beginning to seed and farmers are just beginning to collect this treasure? Is it seasonal? My request is this: would you please contribute any new recipes where you have used fennel pollen over the last two years? Thanks.

[cape chef]

Catciao,

Sounds like you had a great time in Italy.

http://cheftalk.com/content/display....4&type=article

This is a article wriiten a while back from Helene Brody

[aaronproot]

Sorry to drag this old thread back from the dead, but I live in San Francisco and we are overrun with wild fennel plants, so I am trying out the paper bag thing myself to see how much pollen I can harvest.

I can tell you this-- several bags of wild fennel blossoms are one of the most powerful smells I have ever encountered.

[redace1960]

fennel grows wild in oregon, to about five feet tall! i remember we kids used to pick big wands of it and whap each other. i can recall the pollen flying out of the umbels in big clouds....you'd smell like licorice all day.

[aaronproot]

The yields you get from these plants is remarkably low. I probably won't be able to fill a small spice jar this summer.

[Mezzaluna]

I just tasted it for the first time last Sunday at Alinea. It was quite intense, and I'll watch for it on menus in the future. Mmmm....

[ChefMarco]

Originally Posted by cape chef

David, I get it through Sid Wainer out of Fall River Mass. At this time they have made arrangements with nokoma farms to be the sole US distributor. At 35 once once I don't know if it will become a staple, But I am looking forward to using it for special occasions when warranted. I will give you the # tomorrow
cc

thats in my part of town i work in new bedford
and have used Sid Wainer before and find them expensive

[100folds]

I went and got me some fennel, hung it upside down in a paper bag and have collected the pollen which I have to say is amazing. I've made a fennel creme brulee with pistachio icecream and loved it. Used it in two fish sauces that were burre blanc based.
But it got me thinking, why not other herbs.
So right now I have sage, dill, thyme and linton flowers hanging in various places. I mean this could be a new thing. I wonder though if the fresh stuff is better than the bought stuff. My fennel pollen was sweet wuth a strong fennel flavor, how was the bought stuff?
Is there history, besides saffron, of people using pollen for culinary uses? I'll research it but if anyone knows, let me know. Thanks