This salad is surprisingly delicious. Most salads have raw fennel in them, but roasting fennel makes it lose its liquoricey taste and it becomes a different but delicious salad ingredient, also it brings out the sweetness and it becomes quite tender and a bit crispy all at the same time. Great on its own (I like it with chips) and you can also serve it with fish, chicken or meat and you have a fab low carb meal. My friends really love it and make this a lot, plus it’s pretty healthy.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:
1 lemon juice and zest
A small sprig of parsley finely chopped
2 fennel bulbs sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 radicchio (or chicory) shredded
2 teaspoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove garlic minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Pecorino (optional)

How:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Roast the fennel in a baking tin with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.
You want the fennel to be tender and caramelised, but not burnt, so bake it for about 20-30 minutes turning half way through. Leave to cool.
Meanwhile make the dressing by combining the rest of the olive oil, the zest and juice of the lemon, the garlic clove, the maple syrup and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Put the chicory on a serving plate, lay the roasted fennel on top.
Pour over the dressing and sprinkle with the parsley.
Grate the pecorino over the top and serve.

Lastly….a friend of mine makes this in advance of a dinner party by roasting the fennel and preparing the dressing and salad separately, then assembling the salad just before serving. That way she frees up precious time in the kitchen.