Grilled Fennel with Cumin Dill Yogurt Dressing
A very light dish with fragrant arabic spices and citrus overtones. I have a passion for fennel and I kind of created this after wanting to try fennel cooked and warm. I used the classic pairing of orange, which made me think of arabic spices and that is how I came up with this blend. The cumin yoghurt dip is really great for anything, particularly kebabs.
Healthy/Vegan/Gluten free/Quick
Serves 1 for a vegan main or 2 for a light appetizer for people who like fennel…
- One whole fennel, thickly sliced saving the fennel tops to throw at the end
- One orange, zested, then one slice of the orange set aside and cut in half for serving
- Three tablespoons of greek no fat yogurt
- Two tablespoons of dill chopped roughly
- Half teaspoon cumin
- A pinch of red chilli powder
- A pinch of sea salt. (Smoked dutch salt is a great alternative if you can get it.)
- Half of a finely diced red onion
- Four cracks of a peppermill’s pepper
- A few tablespoons of olive oil divided about within the recipe
- Handful of black salt cured olives
- Pinch of paprika
First slice then steam your fennel for about four to five minutes or until slightly soft but still firm. Rinse over cold water to stop from cooking and lay onto paper towels to soak up moisture. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. To make your dipping sauce, take the yogurt, zest, half an orange squeezed, cumin, chilli, salt, pepper, onion, and one teaspoon of olive oil and blend well with a spoon.
Heat a grill pan to a very high temperature. Place the dried fennel in to the pan. Place a plate on top to make burn marks across the fennel. Wait about three minutes, check, and turn with tongs if you have satisfactory grill marks, otherwise wait a minute longer, watching closely. Turn and grill the other side about three to five minutes more.
Place fennel on a plate. Season lightly with salt and pepper and spread remaining olive oil over fennel. Sprinkle fennel tops and olives around grilled fennel. Put a small cup to the side for your sauce or sprinkle the sauce with a spoon lightly over the fennel and place orange slices around the plate. Sprinkle with paprika lightly all over plate.
