Fennel and blood oranges go together like peas and carrots!! But so much tastier! Their exotic, unique flavors combine so well in this dish. It’s a show stopper for sure! This ‘salad’ contains raw and roasted fennel, which sweetens its amazing licorice flavor.
I just love fennel. It grows wild along the trails I hike in Malibu. I want to pick it and eat its licorice goodness! Fennel is crunchy and slightly sweet, adding a refreshing contribution to your palate. Be sure to add this to your farmer’s market basket from the autumn through early spring when it is at its nutrient dense best.
Fennel’s bulbs, stalks, leaves and seeds are all edible. Fennel is closely related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander. Like many of its fellow spices, fennel possesses some unique phytonutrients—including the flavonoids rutin, quercitin, and various kaempferol glycosides—that give it strong antioxidant activity. Healthy and delish!
The blood orange is one of the most nutrient-dense fruits around. Besides being a good source of potassium, folic acid, thiamine, and dietary fiber, this fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and flavonoids (think flavor plus phytonutrients!), which together increase immunity and overall good health. Due to its deep red pigment, the blood orange is a powerful source of carotenoids, which protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain forms of cancer.
You know the general rule – the more dark colored a fruit or veggies, the more nutrients it contains. So, when I eat an orange, I grab a blood orange. Beware. They stain your fingers and clothes they have so much pigment!
Beware! Serving roasted fennel and blood orange salad at a dinner party will provide proof of your culinary genius.
Ingredients
4 fennel bulbs, rough chop into bite-sized pieces- 1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced crosswise on a mandolin (if not, cut ’em the old fashioned way with a knife!)
- 3 blood oranges, cut in slices and quartered
- Extra virgin olive (EVOO), pumpkin seed, or walnut oil for drizzling and roasting
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sprigs of fennel fronds for garnish
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2
Lightly oil the bottom of a glass or stainless steel baking dish. Arrange the fennel to be used for roasting in the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the oil. Bake until the fennel is fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
Step 3
Arrange your roasted fennel on a serving dish. Top with fresh sliced fennel and the blood oranges. Tear sprigs of fennel fronds and place over your dish and serve.
Here’s another fun way to serve this delicious dish!
