How do you cook fennel if you don't like aniseed?

Plenty of people who say they hate aniseed have only met fennel raw and in thick chunks, where it is crunchy, cold and loudly liquorice. That is fennel at its most extreme. Heat changes it. So does the knife. Before giving up on it, try it one of the ways below.

What heat does

Raw fennel has a bright, cool aniseed flavour. As it cooks, especially slowly, that note recedes and its natural sweetness comes forward. Browned edges add a caramel, savoury depth. Cooked fennel ends up mellow, silky and much closer to a sweet onion or a leek than to the raw bulb. The longer and gentler the cooking, the quieter the aniseed.

The first thing to try: roasting

Cut the bulb into wedges through the root, so each one holds together. Toss with olive oil and salt, spread out on a tray with space between, and roast in a hot oven until the wedges are soft right through and well browned at the edges. Turn once.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon, grated Parmesan, or a few chilli flakes. Roasted fennel is lovely next to beans, in a grain salad, or folded through pasta with its cooking oil.

Good company on the tray: red onion, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, olives, garlic cloves in their skins.

Braising: the softest result

For the mildest fennel, braise it. Brown wedges in olive oil in a wide pan, then add a splash of liquid, stock, white wine or water, cover, and cook gently until a knife slides in with no resistance. Take the lid off at the end to let the liquid reduce into a glaze.

Variations we like:

• With tomatoes: braise in a light tomato sauce with garlic and a pinch of chilli.
• With butter and Parmesan: finish soft braised fennel with a knob of butter and cheese, then grill briefly until golden.
• With orange: add a strip of orange peel and a splash of juice to the braise.

Raw, but tamed

Raw fennel can still win over sceptics if you change how it is cut and what it is served with.

• Shave it paper-thin, with a mandoline or a very sharp knife. Thin slices are crisp and fresh rather than chunky and aggressive.
• Dress it straight away with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Acid and salt soften the edge.
• Pair it with citrus. Orange and fennel is a pairing we keep coming back to: the sweetness of the fruit softens the aniseed. Add olives, a few rocket leaves, or shaved Parmesan. More citrus ideas in oranges in savoury cooking.
• Give it something rich, such as cheese, olive oil or toasted nuts, so the aniseed is one voice among several.

In the background

Fennel can also be a supporting player. Diced finely and cooked slowly in olive oil with onion, it adds a sweet roundness to tomato sauces, soups and bean stews, and few people would pick out aniseed. Treat it like a softer, sweeter celery.

Buying and prepping

Look for firm, heavy, white bulbs with no brown, dry or split patches, and fresh-looking fronds. Trim the stalks and any tough outer layer, and cut out the hard core only if the bulb is large. Keep the fronds: chopped like herbs, they are milder than the bulb and good scattered over the finished dish.