Fennel Frittata (Frittata di Finocchi)

There’s always something to learn at a visit to the market, whether it’s just noticing the seasons in the stall displays or the way certain fruits and vegetables are handled. It’s also common to get advice on how to cook your selected vegetables by fellow market goers or the vendors themselves. It’s a wonderful little exchange of information.

One winter’s day at the Sant’Ambrogio markets, I came across an irresistible pile of fresh, bright fennel, spread over a wooden table. Just as I was beginning to gather the prettiest fennel to take home with me, a woman interrupted me. ‘No, not that one.’ She picked up another bulb of fennel, round and squat, and said, ‘This one.’ She proceeded to explain that the elongated bulb that I was holding was a female fennel, which was stringy and less flavourful compared to the sweet, rounded male fennel. My fennel dishes have never been the same again.

This is a dish of sweetly stewed fennel in a simple, rustic frittata. You could serve this as part of an antipasto or as an easy lunch or a light dinner, perhaps paired with a leafy salad and some good, crusty Tuscan bread.