Salads
Grilled fennel with tomato sauce
This succulent vegetarian recipe is great served with black olives, or as a side to white fish or lamb. Cooked fennel loses its slight astringency and becomes sweetly aniseed.
Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs
- olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 450g good, ripe tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- chilli, finely chopped
- mint, finely chopped
- lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Slice fennel bulbs lengthways, brush with a little olive oil and cook on a ridged grill pan until charred and tender.
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Step 2
Meanwhile, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-based pan, add the garlic and cook gently for a few minutes, until softened but not coloured.
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Step 3
Stir in the tomatoes and sugar and raise the heat until the tomatoes are simmering. Lower the heat again and cook gently for about 1 hour, until reduced and thickened. Season well.
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Step 4
Mix the sauce with the grilled fennel and dress with finely chopped chilli and mint, plus some oil and lemon.