Fennel, Feta & Ouzo

I always wonder what it is that gives vegetables their bad rep- with their multitude of colours, shapes, textures and forms they are anything but 'yucky' (were you one of those kids who hated broccoli?) Boil them, roast them, grill them, fry them, steam them, chop, dice or slice: eating greens should be a wonderful thing! As a matter of fact, I have an unusual soft spot for vegetables: I crave them the very same way I crave chocolate (I suppose one makes up for the other!) Fennel, with it's signature licorice-like taste, is one I particularly relish- especially when it's roasted.

And so it happens roasted fennel reaches a new level of deliciousness when it's spiked with a splash of Ouzo and topped off with Feta cheese crumblings. This is a very easy recipe that is fantastic on it's own or as an accompaniment- think of it as a great side kick dish to roasted chicken for instance!

Fennel ready to go in the oven

A splattering of Ouzo brings some je ne sais quoi to this dish

Ready to enjoy, a superbly tasty vegetable based dish

Roasted Fennel with Feta & Ouzo

Fennel, sliced

Olive oil

Ouzo

Crumbled feta cheese

Salt, Pepper

Nigella seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F/180C. 

Place the sliced fennel in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and a splash of ouzo. Season with salt & pepper. Mix everything to ensure fennel slices are evenly coated. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and top off with crumbled feta cheese and nigella seeds and continue to bake for 10 minutes until a golden colour is obtained.