Ven’ll You Roast Fennel?

December 29, 2005 | By | COMMENTS

The Barefoot Contessa, that wily vixen, she’s just so smart. She told me (via her TV show) to roast fennel and did I listen? Never. “The fennel,” she says, “gets caramelized as it roasts and it’s so delicious.” Did I heed her advice? Not at all.

Until yesterday. Yesterday I was roasting chicken and instead of buying potatoes I decided to buy fennel:

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Love her or hate her, you can’t say Ina’s recipes aren’t user friendly. To roast the fennel: just cut off the stems, slice the fennel in half length-wise, put the cut side down and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Toss on a cookie sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper, throw in the oven with the chicken, flip the fennel at 30 minutes and another 30 minutes later sprinkle with some parmesan, roast 5 minutes more and you have this:

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Golden, caramelized, scrumptious roasted fennel. It’s surprisingly sweet and yet savory enough to complement any main course, like the chicken I roasted along with it. So next time you’re in the supermarket and you see fennel, why not pick some up? As Ina says: “It’s gonna be really good.”

Categories: Recipes, Sides

  • http://www.neato.co.nz/delish Christine D.

    Just yesterday I ordered fennel seeds over the interweb!

    Obviously I will need to roast fennel, if I manage to grow it into actual edible looking planty-things (:

  • Christine

    I

  • http://stalkingthewaiter.blogspot.com B’gina

    Save those green tops and chop them on veggies or wrap them around fish and bake it. Nice flavor. The fennel is also good stir fried.

  • Whitney

    Roast fennel and diced celeriac until tender and mix with mashed potatoes. Delicious!

  • http://www.myblog.mauricecurtis.com gant

    Fennel and Roast pork

    Yum Yum

    The Blog Of Gant

  • http://andreayaya.typepad.com/rookie_cookery/ Andrea

    I LOVE roasted fennel, although it was that other Food Network diva Giada de Laurentiis who introduced me to it. Try roasting it with peeled parsnips, carrots, beets and/or brussels sprouts. Fabulous.

  • http://www.ModernMuseProject.com Meg

    I keep coming back to these pictures of the yummy fennel. I’m trying it tonight with some roasted chicken from this month’s Real Simple magazine! Can’t wait — thanks for the idea and the funny comments about your Florida gorge-fest!

  • http://www.ModernMuseProject.com Meg

    Thank you thank you thank for the fennel recipe — I tried it and am thoroughly head over heels in love with fennel now! I’m buying more as soon as I get back from being out of town!!

  • Tommy Tucker

    I was stir frying chicken recently and did not have any bok choy. I substituted diced fennel with spinach, mushrooms, and green onions. Served over orzo, t is to die for! Stir frying ala Italiano……..