Fennel, also known as sweet anise, is most commonly served raw, usually sliced very thinly and tossed with a bright dressing as a salad or added to green salads for a bit of extra crunch and light anise flavor. Roasting this bright bulb softens its crunchy nature and turns it meltingly tender. It also brings out its inherent sweetness, dramatically softens its already gentle licorice flavor, and gives it nice browned, caramelized edges. Serve with roasted meats, roast chicken, stews, or other roasted vegetables.
The roasting technique used here can be applied to one bulb of fennel or 10. The only limits are the size of your oven and how many people you have to feed.
Ingredients
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1 to 2 bulbs fennel, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into spears or bite-sized chunks
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2 tablespoons olive oil, or coconut oil
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Kosher salt, to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Preheat oven to 375 F.
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Put fennel in a roasting or baking pan or on a baking sheet. Drizzle fennel with olive oil and toss to coat all pieces lightly but evenly with oil.
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Sprinkle with salt.
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Cover loosely with foil or a lid set ajar, and roast for 20 minutes.
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Uncover and continue roasting until fennel is tender and browned—about 20 more minutes—this might take longer, depending on how fresh the fennel is. Drizzle with additional olive oil and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Variations
- Add a tablespoon or so of butter to the pan about 10 minutes before the fennel is done; let it melt in the pan and toss to coat the fennel with the melted butter for a richer final dish.
- Toss the roasted fennel with a small handful of chopped herbs before serving—parsley, dill, chervil, and thyme are all good choices.
- Make it fruity by adding in wedges of chopped peeled pear with the fennel.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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150 | Calories |
14g | Fat |
7g | Carbs |
1g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 1 to 2 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 150 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 14g | 18% |
Saturated Fat 2g | 10% |
Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
Sodium 203mg | 9% |
Total Carbohydrate 7g | 3% |
Dietary Fiber 3g | 11% |
Total Sugars 3g | |
Protein 1g | |
Vitamin C 10mg | 52% |
Calcium 49mg | 4% |
Iron 1mg | 5% |
Potassium 378mg | 8% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |