I am almost late to
meet a friend for lunch today because I'm learning about sea fennel, and how it
differs from wild fennel (used to flavor sea bass, lubina in Mallorca).
I've loved
traipsing through wild herbs on my various travels—chamomile in the Swiss Alps,
sage on Cretan hillsides, capers (if they count as herb) on the Italian island
near to Africa, Pantelleria, juniper berries in New Mexico, below the line of
caves at Tsankawi that I used to climb to on New Year's Eve, the last day of the
year, a kind of ritual, before returning home to Santa Fe for a bowl of posole
heartened with deep red chili pods.
Caves like sunflowers, their faces to the sun. Juniper found also in the Val d'Aosta, Roman
territory, seasoning October's wild boar.
I have
inadvertently given one of my characters the name of fennel, from his
birthplace, Fonoll in Catalan. It
flavors him nicely.
I find a recipe for
roasted sea bass with fennel, blood oranges, and olives, and am set dreaming
about dinner, leaving my characters to fend for themselves.
image: Sea Fennel, nurturedinnorfolk.co.uk
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