Fennel is actually part of the carrot family. It has an incredible sweetness and depth if you take time with it. I started by slicing it and adding it to the veggies underneath my roast chicken (also, veggies roasted in chicken fat? Yes, please!). I started wondering how else I could use fennel since it’s a pretty affordable but under-loved vegetable.

French onion dip is a staple at my husband’s family gatherings. It has to be the powdered mix and the sour cream, no exceptions. So, what if I combined their two loves: creamy French onion dip and fennel? That’s how this recipe was born.

This Caramelized Fennel Dip has the same richness and salty-sweet deliciousness as French onion dip, but with an underlying complexity from the anise flavor in the fennel. Serve it with crackers or chips, and this dip is an instant favorite.

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I love this recipe for so many reasons. From a recipe developer POV, it’s got lots of great points: canned seafood so it’s affordable but still feels fancy, minimal dishes, and straightforward process.

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It also offers me a taste of someone I never knew: my grandfather. He sadly passed away soon after my mom graduated from college, before she and my dad even started dating. While every other grandparent in my family has a cute nickname (Gaga, Lolo, and Pop-Pop), we always refer to him as “Grandpa Winston.” I’ve been to his grave as a kid and met his family back in Trinidad, but it’s still just whispers of who he was.

His parents moved from India to Trinidad in search of a better life. He then moved from Trinidad to Canada to pursue his degree, and then he and my grandmother came to the United States for his work while she was pregnant with my mom. From my limited understanding of how brilliant he was, he helped develop fiber optic technology, something we now take for granted. It’s probably no surprise with how brilliant he was that most of his grandkids became engineers or doing something in STEM.

It makes me wonder what he would have thought of me pursuing food as my career. Would he have been disappointed that I didn’t pursue physics like my AP teacher wanted? Would he have felt like so many people who told me I was “wasting my Cornell degree” by studying hospitality?

Hearing other stories about him, I’d like to think that he would have been proud of me. Apparently, he and my grandmother would spend days cooking his family’s Indian recipes for their parties, stocking their freezer and neighbors’ freezers to maximum capacity. I’ve heard their parties were legendary, which is maybe my way of carrying on his legacy. At the very least, I have a taste of something he loved: Matouk’s hot sauce (not sponsored at all but maybe one day!).

This recipe is a peek into my family’s history: a story of two completely different worlds combining into a baking dish that’s been present at so many gatherings. It has French influence, American ingredients, and a distinctly Trinidadian kick. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Recommended Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc, specifically Sancerre from France. Think lemon, fresh cut herbs, and gorgeous minerality that begs for seafood.

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