Fennel in pickling brine questions

[Merneith]

I came across this recipe from David Chang, for pickled vegetables like he serves at Momofuku. It sounds like something I’d like to make as a gift but I have questions about the fennel. Here’s the recipe:

Momofuku's Vinegar Pickles

Ingredients:

For brine:

* 1 cup very hot tap water
* 1/2 cup rice-wine vinegar
* 6 tbsp sugar
* 2 1/4 tsp kosher salt
* (Optional: 1 tsp coriander seeds)

For veggies:

* 2 lbs whole baby carrots, scrubbed, peeled, and trimmed
* 3 bulbs fennel

Instructions:

Pack carrots (for larger ones, cut them length-wise, so they are snack size) and fennel (core and cut into 1/8-inch strips) into mason jars or 1-qt plastic containers, cover with brine, close lid, and refrigerate. They’ll be ready in four days. Most will keep for up to a month.

That’s pretty straightforward but I’m not sure I’ll be able to find the bulbs of fennel in the next couple days.

Do you think the recipe would still work if I used fennel seed? If so, about how much will I need?

Also, I think I might use half & half carrots and cauliflower, since the recipient really like cauliflower. Do you think I should maybe up the sugar slightly since there won’t be as much carrot?

[Jeff_Lichtman]

Fennel bulbs are a vegetable - this recipe results in pickled carrots and fennel. If you use fennel seed instead of bulbs you will just get pickled fennel-flavored carrots.

Where do you live? Around here (San Francisco Bay Area) fennel bulbs are common. I’m curious as to why you’re having trouble finding them.

I wouldn’t expect the carrots to release much sugar into the brine, especially in four days of pickling. So, I wouldn’t increase the amount of sugar to make up for fewer carrots - the carrots in this recipe aren’t doing much to sweeten the other vegetables, anyway.

In general, I would be hestitant to use any recipe I hadn’t tried to make a gift, and even more hesitant to modify the recipe. Don’t you want to be sure that what you’re giving will be really good? How will you know that if you haven’t tried it?

[WhyNot]

The taste of fennel bulb and fennel seed is similar, but not even close to identical. So not only will the vegetables be different, the taste of the brine will be different.

The changes you’re contemplating are pretty fundamental, and it sounds like you’ve never tried the recipe as written. Why don’t you simply find a recipe for the ingredients you have?

Google has about a gazillion hits for picked carrots and cauliflower.

[needscoffee]

I’ll bet your stores have fennel bulb but you haven’t noticed it because it’s off with the unusual vegetables, like the endive or celeriac. It has quite a mild fennel taste and it’s delicious. The brine recipe is a very standard basic one, and your pickled veggies should taste fine. I wouldn’t worry about trying it in advance; it should be fine. The above idea to use cauliflower in case you can’t find fennel is very good. Whoever gets this as a gift will love it.

[Merneith]

Thanks for the advice everyone! My main concern about finding fennel bulb is that I’ve never looked for it. I’m sure I could get it at the gourmet store but I’d like avoid making a special trip to that. I live in NE Ohio, and fennel is not a common food item in most general grocery stores here. Still, I’ll find it, since fennel seed is a different flavor. And yeah, I’d been thinking of it as a flavoring rather than a vegetable itself.

thanks again!

[don_t_ask]

Just substitute anything you like for vegies. I make mine with coleslaw mix from the supermarket and add radish and ginger. Make up the brine add whatever you like and keep it in the fridge. You can change the recipe as much as you like - add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, chilies. Change the sugar to honey. Change the salt to soy sauce or anchovies.

The trick is to make really small batches and use them up in just a few days.

[WhyNot]

@Merneith

Thanks for the advice everyone! My main concern about finding fennel bulb is that I’ve never looked for it. I’m sure I could get it at the gourmet store but I’d like avoid making a special trip to that. I live in NE Ohio, and fennel is not a common food item in most general grocery stores here. Still, I’ll find it, since fennel seed is a different flavor. And yeah, I’d been thinking of it as a flavoring rather than a vegetable itself.

thanks again!

Go look by the celery. Chances are you haven’t seen it because you haven’t been looking for it and thought it was some sort of weird celery if you did see it.

Giant Eagle and Meijers will have it for sure.

[pulykamell]

@WhyNot

Go look by the celery. Chances are you haven’t seen it because you haven’t been looking for it and thought it was some sort of weird celery if you did see it.

Giant Eagle and Meijers will have it for sure.

It is also sometimes sold as “anise.” Anise and fennel are not the same plant, but if you see the vegetable in the picture linked to above, and it’s marked “anise,” it’s fennel.

[fluiddruid]

@Merneith

Thanks for the advice everyone! My main concern about finding fennel bulb is that I’ve never looked for it. I’m sure I could get it at the gourmet store but I’d like avoid making a special trip to that. I live in NE Ohio, and fennel is not a common food item in most general grocery stores here. Still, I’ll find it, since fennel seed is a different flavor. And yeah, I’d been thinking of it as a flavoring rather than a vegetable itself.

thanks again!

For what it’s worth, in Iowa, I can get fennel at the local grocery stores Dahl’s and Hy-Vee with no problem. It often is not prominently labeled, and it definitely confuses cashiers, but they always seem to carry it.