Roasted Fennel with Crunchy Oil-Cured Olives
By Keith DresserPublished on December 6, 2020
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Fennel
2 fennel bulbs, bases lightly trimmed, 2 tablespoons fronds chopped coarse, fronds discarded2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 tablespoons vegetable oil ¼ teaspoon pepperTopping
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped oil-cured black olives ¼ teaspoon grated lemon zestBefore You Begin
Look for fennel bulbs that measure 3½ to 4 inches in diameter and weigh around 1 pound with the stalks (12 to 14 ounces without); trim the bases very lightly so that the bulbs remain intact. The olives for the topping will crisp as they cool.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.
- Cut each fennel bulb lengthwise through core into 8 wedges (do not remove core). Whisk water and salt in large bowl until salt is dissolved. Add fennel wedges to bowl and toss gently to coat. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with pepper, and toss gently to coat. Arrange fennel wedges cut side down along 2 longer sides of prepared sheet. Drizzle any water in bowl evenly over fennel wedges. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 20 minutes.
- While fennel roasts, line plate with double layer of paper towels. Spread olives on towels. Microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until olives start to dry and no longer clump together, 2½ to 3 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer olives to cutting board, sprinkle with lemon zest, and chop until olives are finely chopped and mixture is homogeneous.
- Remove foil from sheet and continue to roast until side of fennel touching sheet is browned, 5 to 8 minutes longer, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. Flip each fennel wedge to second cut side. Continue to roast until second side is browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer to large plate. Sprinkle with olives and fennel fronds and serve.
for the fennel
for the topping
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Fennel
Topping
Ingredients
Fennel
Topping
Ingredients
Fennel
Topping
Why This Recipe Works
For our roasted fennel, we began by cutting the bulbs into wedges, which had two benefits: It provided good surface area for browning, and the attached core kept the pieces intact. Covering the pieces with foil for most of the cooking time allowed them to steam and turn creamy; we then removed the foil for the last 10 minutes of roasting so that they could turn golden and deliciously caramelized. We also tossed the wedges with salted water before covering them, which provided moisture for steaming and helped get seasoning between their layers. Arranging the pieces on the long sides of a rimmed baking sheet ensured that all the pieces got equal exposure to the heat and browned evenly. A sprinkle of salty, crunchy olives, made by quickly microwaving oil-cured olives, provided a textural counterpoint to the creamy fennel wedges.
Before You Begin
Look for fennel bulbs that measure 3½ to 4 inches in diameter and weigh around 1 pound with the stalks (12 to 14 ounces without); trim the bases very lightly so that the bulbs remain intact. The olives for the topping will crisp as they cool.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.
- Cut each fennel bulb lengthwise through core into 8 wedges (do not remove core). Whisk water and salt in large bowl until salt is dissolved. Add fennel wedges to bowl and toss gently to coat. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with pepper, and toss gently to coat. Arrange fennel wedges cut side down along 2 longer sides of prepared sheet. Drizzle any water in bowl evenly over fennel wedges. Cover sheet tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 20 minutes.
- While fennel roasts, line plate with double layer of paper towels. Spread olives on towels. Microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until olives start to dry and no longer clump together, 2½ to 3 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Transfer olives to cutting board, sprinkle with lemon zest, and chop until olives are finely chopped and mixture is homogeneous.
- Remove foil from sheet and continue to roast until side of fennel touching sheet is browned, 5 to 8 minutes longer, rotating sheet halfway through roasting. Flip each fennel wedge to second cut side. Continue to roast until second side is browned, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Transfer to large plate. Sprinkle with olives and fennel fronds and serve.
for the fennel
for the topping
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments