If you think fennel is a boring vegetable associated only with strict diets, Mediterranean baked fennel will make you change your mind immediately. Over the years, I have experimented with many fennel recipes, both raw and cooked, discovering how versatile they are and how they can pair with a wide range of ingredients. Among these, baking is one of the techniques that best enhances this vegetable: the heat dries out the fennel, slightly caramelizes it on the surface, and intensifies its flavor, as happens with orange roasted fennel or gratinated fennel. In Mediterranean fennel, the addition of cherry tomatoes – which also undergo an enticing caramelization – along with Tropea red onion, a pinch of oregano, and some olives, creates a side dish full of flavor, also great when served cold. By increasing the portions, this preparation becomes a perfect vegetarian main dish, ideal for a light and tasty dinner. Preparing them is really simple and takes just over 10 minutes: the oven will do the rest. With this recipe, baked fennel is dressed in Mediterranean flavors, ready to bring a harmony of taste to the table that will conquer everyone.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
- Energy 130.99 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 10.56 (g) of which sugars 11.23 (g)
- Proteins 3.31 (g)
- Fat 8.00 (g) of which saturated 1.09 (g)of which unsaturated 0.51 (g)
- Fibers 5.26 (g)
- Sodium 159.00 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 187 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Mediterranean Fennel
- 2 fennels (about 2.2 lbs)
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1.76 oz Tropea red onion
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch oregano
- to taste pepper
- 0.71 oz Taggiasca olives (pitted)
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Baking tray
- Parchment paper
How to Prepare Baked Fennel with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives
To prepare Mediterranean baked fennel, start by washing and drying the fennel. Remove the stems and cut them in half. Then, placing them on the cutting board with the cut side down, slice them into approximately 1/8 inch thick slices (1). When you reach the bottom, where the core is, remove it with a knife. Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half (2).
Slice the onion not too thin and separate the rings to distribute it better in the baking tray (3). Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Arrange the fennel, cherry tomatoes (cut side up), and onion slices (4).
Season everything with a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, and a pinch of oregano. Add the pitted olives and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (5). Bake the Mediterranean fennel in a preheated oven at 356°F (convection) for 30-40 minutes. Cooking times vary based on the thickness of the fennel slices, so it’s always good to keep an eye on them during the last few minutes of cooking. When the fennel is soft and golden, take it out of the oven (6) and let it cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
In my opinion, Mediterranean baked fennel is best enjoyed at room temperature or cold, especially as the temperatures get warmer, and they can be a great side dish or vegetarian main course.
Storage
You can store the Mediterranean fennel in the refrigerator for a couple of days, closed in an airtight container.
Tips and Variations
For this recipe, I used Taggiasca olives, but if you have Gaeta olives available, which are a bit larger and meatier, they are also more suitable for this recipe.
