El sencillo truco de Ina Garten para obtener el mejor sabor de tus semillas de hinojo
Hay algunos platos que tienen ese algo especial, y la semilla de hinojo es uno de ellos. Esta pequeña pero poderosa semilla es indispensable para todo, desde salchichas al estilo italiano hasta relleno de Acción de Gracias, y desde curry en polvo hasta cinco especias chinas (que pueden dejar en ridículo a la mezcla de especias de calabaza). Pero cuando se trata de usar semillas de hinojo, hay una manera de liberar aún más ese sabor natural, y hay un truco infalible.
There are some dishes that just have that special something, and fennel seed is one of them. This small but mighty seed is indispensable to everything from Italian-style sausage to Thanksgiving stuffing and curry powder to Chinese five spice (which can put pumpkin spice to shame). But when it comes to using fennel seeds, there's a way to unlock even more of that natural flavor — and there's a trusted professional who has happily shared her simple tip to that end.
Yet instead of simply tossing those tasty little seeds directly into her dish, she took an extra moment to roughly chop them. "When you chop up whole fennel seeds, you get all of those essential oils in it," she said, substantiating that simple extra step.
A small extra step for a major difference
During the demonstration, Ina Garten let viewers know they can also use a mortar and pestle to crush these seeds, but she personally prefers the chopping method despite it being a bit more challenging. "They're gonna bounce all over the place but it's really worth it," she said.
Some home cooks may wonder why not opt for ground fennel instead to save the time and effort, but Garten explained her decision. "I actually prefer using whole fennel seeds rather than ground," she told viewers, noting that the ground version "kind of loses its flavor."
You don't have to be making penne for this tip to be super useful. Fennel seed has a great affinity for meats like pork and duck and has the power to transform your pot of chili. It can also play a role in sweeter preparations like orange cake or even ice cream (it's a particularly well-suited partner for all things orange). And while there are some other simple ways to get more flavor from your spices, this easy chopping tip can make a big difference to allowing your fennel seeds to shine, no matter how you put them to use.