Pickled Fennel

I have this thing about pickling and fermenting things. I love the process... and pickled fennel is one of my favorites because I usually just pull together all of my fennel scraps to turn it into something that adds great freshness and acidity to a dish! I use pickled fennel in salad dressings, on veggie burgers, to garnish a piece of seared fish, or even mixed in with other pickles (cucumbers, radishes, cauliflower, etc.) as a snack.

1 medium-large fennel bulb,  very thinly sliced
3/4 cup Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 whole star anise
1 garlic clove
pinch of red pepper flakes
2-inch strip of fresh lemon rind

Bring vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add peppercorns, fennel seeds, star anise, garlic and red pepper flakes to the pot and allow to cool slightly. 

Meanwhile, place the strip of lemon rind on the bottom of a glass pint jar and top with shaved fennel. I packed the fennel pretty tightly into the jar and was left with a small gap between the fennel and the rim of the jar, which is good - it allows the fennel to swim more freely in the brine. 

When the picking brine is still warm, but cool enough to touch, pour over the fennel to the top of the jar. You might have some liquid left over, but be sure all of the spices end up in the jar. 

Allow to sit overnight or up to one week.