Orange-Marinated Baked Fennel is a richly flavored, light and very simple side dish to prepare. Well paired with main courses of meat and fish, these fennels are a really nice idea to bring to the table, try them now!
Ingredients:
- 2 large fennel bulbs
- 2 large navel oranges
- 100 ml (about ½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
How to make Orange-Marinated Baked Fennel:
- First clean the fennels by cutting away the stalks and slicing them over a cutting board more or less thinly. Place them back inside a colander to rinse under running water, then dry them over a dish towel.
- Pour the fennels inside an ovenproof dish and season them with fine salt, ground black peppercorns or -powder- and extra virgin olive oil. Stir everything together and pour in the juice of one large orange.
- Now peel the other orange, that is, perfectly removing the peel with a sharp knife until the pulp is revealed. Cut it into small pieces and combine with the fennel, season and let marinate for 10 to 15 minutes out of the refrigerator.
- Heat oven to 170°C (340 °F) ventilated or 180-190°c (350-370°F) static.
- Bake the marinated orange fennel in a half oven, and let bake for about 35 minutes. Baking time may vary depending not only on the type of oven but also on how you sliced the fennels: if they are thin they will cook faster, but if you cut them thicker it will take a few minutes longer.
- In the meantime that the fennels finish cooking, chop with a knife a nice clump of fresh parsley, but if you want to give an extra touch of flavor, chives are also great!
- Strain the fennels, let them cool or cool, and sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley. If you like them well chilled, you can also store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve at the table.
Bon Appétit!
