Overcoming Food Prejudices

I cut a mess of mustard greens yesterday. For anyone who might be clueless, a mess of greens is about a paper grocery bag full, enough to fill a large pot, but that cook down for one meal. Tonight was the first time I've tried mustard. Skyguy bought them to collect the seeds, but I couldn't resist trying those beautiful purple greens. The variety I have is similar to or is Osaka Purple. I cut the leaves, washed them, and cut out the largest part of the rib/stem. I generally don't like bitter greens, but I know they are very good for you, and I really want to include more leafy greens in our diet. Anyway, I sauted some scallions and garlic and leftover Easter ham with the greens and some chicken broth, roughly following the recipe here:

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007225mustard_greens.php

It was actually pretty good. I did not blanch the greens in salt water to mute their bitterness, but I did add the ham and I think that helped. I could eat this a couple of times a year, for sure.

Last night, we tried Florence Fennel. Just as I don't like bitter things, I am not much for anise or licorice flavors either. We saw the bulbs on sale at Kroger, and since we are growing it, we thought we might ought to try it. So we sliced it thinly and followed the recipe below:

Caramelized Fennel with Parmesan

Lightly brown pieces of fennel bulb sliced vertically, about 3/8th inch thick in oil and butter in a non-stick pan. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock, salt and pepper, cover, and braise for 15-20 minutes over low heat, until tender. Grate 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over the top, Sprinkle with Italian style bread crumbs (crumbs with Italian herbs) and broil 'til the cheese bubbles and browns.

I could not slice the bulb. It was too strongly scented for me. Skyguy sliced it, and we both wondered if we had made a big mistake. It was 'burn your eyes and throat' strong. The licorice smell filled up the house as it seared in the pan. It looked beautiful on the plate, but it took everything I had to taste it. I reminded myself that the Romans ate this as an appetite suppressant to lose weight. Oh-My-God. I could not believe how good it was! We both loved it. We did notice that the anise flavor and smell came back strongly as the finocchio/fennel cooled off, so it is best to eat this dish hot right out of the oven.

There are a lot of foods that smell one way and taste the other, especially after they are cooked. There is a big difference between raw garlic and roasted garlic, and that is the closest analogy I can make to this Finocchio/Florence Fennel thing. Realizing this has given us motivation to try more things, like these mustard greens. They say that one's taste changes every seven years or so. I'd love to see the research on that. Without a doubt, it is now becoming fun to try new things. Everyone should do this. For us, it is step one in our plan of growing more of our own food, and eating healthier-making healthier choices. You really might be surprised at what you like that you never liked before.