Roasted Fennel: Cold Weather Favorite with a Hint of Spring
Roasted Fennel

Fennel, with its a faint licorice flavor, is often shredded or thinly sliced and made into salads or side dishes. The raw green and white bulb and the feathery fronds can also be cooked. You can find it in Mediterranean dishes like fried fennel, braised fennel or pasta with fennel. When fennel is roasted, it takes on a subtle, sweet flavor. The first time I tasted it, I was hooked.

This recipe requires little work, other than stirring, and it produces a magical result. I have served this to guests who don't like licorice, and they never detect that flavor once it is roasted. I like to serve this as a side dish to any grilled or roasted entree. Make sure the fennel is soft and caramelized; otherwise it can taste woody.

Fennel Cooking tips

-- Use a shallow roasting pan to give the vegetables plenty of room for even roasting.

-- You can double or triple the recipe for a crowd. Just make sure to have enough room for the vegetables to brown; you may need two pans.

-- Advance preparation: It may be prepared up to 4 hours ahead, kept at room temperature and reheated in a 350 F oven for about 15 minutes.

-- Combine any leftover fennel with vegetable stock, heat, puree and serve as a soup.

Roasted Fennel Recipe

Serves 4-6.

4 fennel bulbs, roots cut off, sliced into eighths, feathery fronds removed and reserved for garnish

1 leek, light green and white part only, cleaned and finely chopped

10 peeled whole garlic cloves, halved

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Zest of one lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Combine the fennel, leek, garlic, oil, salt and pepper in a shallow roasting pan and toss the ingredients with tongs to evenly coat them.

3. Roast the fennel, turning the vegetables every 20 minutes, for about 40 minutes or until the fennel is softened, nicely browned and caramelized. Add the lemon juice and zest, toss to coat and taste for seasoning. Place in a serving dish and garnish with the fennel fronds.

Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks (click here), including "Seriously Simple Holidays: Recipes and Ideas to Celebrate the Season," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host.

 

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Roasted Fennel: Cold Weather Favorite with a Hint of Spring - Recipe

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