How to cook fennel, and are old spices OK?

I have often been asked, how do you cook fennel?

I recently spent a week in a rental house in Umbria. We ate lunch out every day, but in the evening we would come home, and I would go into the little garden and "harvest" something for dinner. In the late fall, the only things still growing in the garden were fennel, radicchio and rosemary, and so I found myself cooking fennel almost every night.

Our rental kitchen had a big, nonstick skillet, and I had brought a good, sharp knife with me (in my checked luggage). I also had on hand plenty of garlic, Parmesan and the pungent, fruity olive oil produced by Primo, the local fellow who looked after the house. Over the course of a few dinners, I developed this easy, delicious and versatile recipe:

1 fennel bulb

1 large sprig rosemary

Extra-virgin olive oil (best quality)

2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed

Salt and pepper

Wedge of Parmesan cheese

1. If the fennel still has its stalks attached, cut off the soft, green tops and set them aside. Trim off the rest of the stalks where they meet the bulb and cut into very thin (1/8- to 1/4-inch) slices. Trim off any discoloration on the bulb and cut a thin slice off the base. Cut the bulb in half, through the base. Lay each half, cut side down, on a board and then slice into very thin slices.

2. Film bottom of a large, nonstick skillet with a few tablespoons olive oil. Place the rosemary sprig, garlic cloves, and, if you have them, a few inches of fennel tops in the oil. Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic just begins to color.

3. Place fennel slices in pan in an even layer. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium-high. Add 1/4 cup water and cover pan with a lid or with a large sheet of aluminum foil. Cook for 10 to 20 minutes, until fennel is soft. Remove lid and continue to cook until all moisture has evaporated and fennel is nicely browned in spots. Don't stir too much or fennel won't brown. When fennel is done, grate plenty of Parmesan on top of it and cover pan for a minute or so to let the cheese melt. Serve immediately.

Bear in mind that you certainly don't have to cook fennel at all. Slice it as thinly as possible and dress it with salt, lemon juice and good olive oil for a terrific salad.

I recently heard a podcast about a woman who collects spices, some hundreds of years old. She claims to actually cook with these "antique" spices. According to her, they do not go bad but actually get better with age. How could that be? - Arlene Feuerman, Great Neck

I've always advised people that spices do not go bad. But I would be nervous about cooking with thyme that was packed into its pretty antique tin in, say, 1910.

For younger, but still "mature" spices, the problem isn't that they'll go bad but that they'll lose their flavor. Dried spices are at their best within six months after purchase. If you open a jar of oregano and you don't smell anything, it's time to toss it. For this reason, try to buy the smallest available packages of dried herbs.