"new & improved" roasted fennel

I had enjoyed roasted fennel a la Jaimie Oliver -- prepared with white wine, garlic, and butter -- but I found myself wanting a little something more from my fennel. I suppose if you're into really strong garlic, another clove might do, but I wanted something subtle. Then, I discovered that Elise over at Simply Recipes just puts olive oil and balsamic vinegar on hers. Why didn't I think of that?!

roasted fennel
Serves 2

1 fennel bulb
olive oil
balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash fennel bulb and trim off stalks. Slice bulb into 8ths or so, throwing away the core. Toss pieces into baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and a dose of balsamic vinegar. Mix together so the fennel gets nicely coated.

To roast/steam the fennel, crumple up a piece of parchment paper, get it a little wet with water, and fit down into the top of the baking pan (a little trick from that naked chef).


Then, bake until they're soft and caramelizing at the edges (at least 30 mins, but depends on the size of your slices). These make a tasty side dish for an otherwise simple meal.