It's great cooked or raw. It has a wonderful licorice/anise flavor. Here's a salad recipe: Fennel Apple and Gorgonzola salad 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 crisp apples, such as Gala or small Fuji, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons dried currants 2 medium fennel bulbs (sometimes called anise; 2 lb total) 4 oz Gorgonzola (preferably dolce), crumbled Whisk together lemon juice and oil in a large bowl. Add apples and currants and gently toss. Trim fennel stalks flush with bulbs, discarding stalks, then quarter each bulb. Thinly slice bulbs with a mandoline or other manual slicer. Gently toss fennel with apples and season with salt and pepper. Serve salad topped with Gorgonzola. ______________________________________________ And a hot dish:-) Fennel and Sausage Ragu 1 fennel bulb with fronds 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings discarded 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 cups prepared marinara sauce 1 lb rotini, fusilli, or other spiral pasta Trim stems from fennel bulb and cut away any brown spots from outer layer. Chop and reserve 2 tablespoons fronds and chop bulb. Sauté fennel bulb and onion in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until beginning to brown. Add sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up lumps with a fork, until no longer pink. Add wine and simmer until reduced by about half, then add marinara sauce and simmer, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. While sauce simmers, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and toss with sauce. Sprinkle with reserved fennel fronds.

You can also just put a little olive oil on it and roast it in the oven; it becomes incredibly sweet. It goes great with any kind of poultry.