The fennel with black kale sauce I’m proposing today is a simple and very tasty way to bring winter vegetables to the table. The fennel, pan-seared, becomes tender and golden and is accompanied by a green cream which, with its intense flavor, pleasantly contrasts its sweetness. Bet they’ll ask you to make it again? One last thing: prepare some toasted bread because a few extra spoonfuls of sauce will surely be appreciated.
Other fennel side dishes I recommend you try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for fennel with black kale sauce
- 2 fennel bulbs
- A few tbsp black kale sauce
- 1 tbsp salted capers
- lemon juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Tools
- 1 Pan with lid
Preparation of fennel with black kale sauce
First of all, prepare the black kale sauce following the recipe described HERE. Save the cooking water as we will also need it for this preparation. With the quantities in that recipe, the sauce will be very generous compared to the fennel. However, making it in much smaller quantities would make it hard to blend well and, to be honest, would be too much work for such a small amount. In my opinion, while you’re making it, it’s right to make a larger quantity because the leftover sauce keeps perfectly in the fridge and is great for dressing pasta. In practice, from a single preparation you can get two dishes: a first course and a side. However, if you prefer to make less, you can simply halve all the amounts.
Clean the fennel by removing the stalks, the tougher outer parts and part of the base. Don’t cut the base too much because it will help keep the wedges together. Then cut them in half lengthwise, cut each half in half again and finally split each quarter in half: you will obtain regular wedges, eight from each fennel bulb.
In a large pan, heat a few tablespoons of oil, then arrange the fennel wedges in a single layer.
Sear them for 3 minutes without moving them (this helps them start to brown), then turn them gently and cook for another 3 minutes.
At this point, salt and pepper to taste and pour a small ladle of the black kale cooking water (hot) into the pan. Put the lid on and continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes, moving the wedges from time to time.
When cooking is complete, when the wedges are soft, golden but still hold together, drizzle them with a splash of lemon juice and let them season and caramelize for a few more moments.
Spread a couple of spoonfuls of green sauce on the bottom of the serving plate and arrange the fennel on top. Brush them here and there with more sauce and sprinkle with desalinated, coarsely chopped capers. Finally, dust with freshly ground black pepper.
Serve the fennel with black kale sauce hot or at room temperature. Enjoy! PaolaI’d like to remind you that you can follow me on various social networks to stay updated on the new recipes I publish. You can find me on Facebook (HERE), on Twitter (HERE), on Pinterest (HERE), on Instagram (HERE) and also on TikTok (@zenzero_limone). Thank you ♥!
