Have you ever caramelized fennel? Browning this vegetable in a skillet transforms it into something completely different from its crisp, raw state; all but a trace of the anise flavor melts away and the fennel becomes tender, mellow, and sweet. Caramelized fennel melds perfectly with the textures and flavors of nutty chickpeas, succulent olives, orange, and lemon – and spooned over couscous, it makes a quick-cooking, bright yet hearty dish.
The combination of textures in this dish couldn't get any better, from the fluffy grains of couscous to the warm, smooth chickpeas, melt-in-your-mouth fennel, and little bursts of olive. Enjoy it as a one-dish lunch or dinner, or as a side to a larger meal.
Serves 2-4
1 large fennel bulb with fronds
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 cups (or 1 15-ounce can) cooked and drained chickpeas
10 Kalamata olives, halved and pitted
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup instant couscous
Trim fennel and cut into 1/4-inch thick wedges. Reserve fronds for garnish.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Add coriander, chickpeas, olives, and lemon juice to pan and stir to combine. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, juice the orange into a liquid measuring cup and top off with water to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Add liquid to a small saucepan along with 1 tablespoon olive oil, orange zest, lemon zest, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir in couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for at least 5 minutes.
To serve, fluff couscous grains with a fork and spread on a dish. Spoon chickpeas and fennel over couscous and garnish with fennel fronds.
Related: Couscous with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Capers
(Images: Emily Ho)
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Comments (16)
You had me at chickpeas, citrus, and olives. Totally making this!
yummy! The other half doesn't like fennel that much, but since he already told me the same thing before about many veggies he now loves I might as well give it a try :)
the seasoning's sorta what i use as a vinegrette with red beets... this sounds yummy!
This recipe was really very tasty! I was worried that there wouldn't be enough seasoning (flavor), what with there only being a little coriander, but the lemon juice really makes the fennel sing. I subbed quinoa for couscous because it's what I had in the house, and it was fine. Very interesting to use orange juice in the preparation... I'll definitely make this again.
This was really good! It was such a totally different flavor and I've never really had anything quite like it. It was really light and healthy, but had a very nice mediterranean flare with the olives and the citrus. I added some quartered artichoke hearts to the mix (added them in with the chickpeas, olives, etc.), but otherwise just prepared the recipe as written--we really liked it! This was also tasty eaten chilled and would be a good summer meal, too.
It sounded good on paper, but it's really not that great. It's pretty bitter and dry and could also use some salt.
This was surprisingly good. Loved the caramelized fennel, very mellow and mild with a touch of anise flavor which kept the dish interesting. I accidentally on purpose cooked some orange bits in with the couscous; got some nice bursts of citrus throughout the dish.
Great thing about the recipe is the adaptability. I added garlic + red onion. Instead of coriander you could use cumin or some other spices. Also, next time I may put raisins in instead of olives just to mix it up.
I'm going to make this tonight. Only change will be to use whole wheat couscous!
This ended up quite tasty, but the wedges of fennel can be awkward to eat, so next time I will dice the fennel so that the pieces are roughly the size of the chickpeas. Some fresh parsley would be a good addition. I also ended up slicing the olives in half which spread their little bits of joy further.
Made this last night and it was yummy. The flavors were fresh and it looked so vibrant on my plate. Thank you.
Absolutely disgusting. A waste of a meal. Way too citrusy! I tried to doctor it with salt/pepper, a bit of bouillon, garlic, sugar....such a waste of food. I do not recommend this recipe.
This sounds delicious. I love fennel and sometimes just roast it and eat it by itself. I also eat roasted chickpeas as a snack fairly often.
@goodfoodisgood - I almost never follow recipes verbatim, usually just think of them as suggestions because people have such a range of tastes. Maybe try it again and adjust the citrus levels?
Made this last night and it was okay at first, and then fairly good with some doctoring, but not something that I'd make again despite loving this type of food, eating vegan and really liking all of the specific ingredients. When I tasted the dish after following the recipe as written I thought that it didn't really come together and was missing depth of flavor. I added cumin, sauteed red onion, some handfuls of baby spinach, a can of artichoke hearts, chopped up both the fennel and the olives to spread the flavor more, and added salt and a lot of ground pepper. Much improved! But while the recipe wasn't a lot of work, for me it was too much work for the so-so result.
My husband and I really like this recipe. So much so, I've made it three times in one week. I could definitely see how adding some spices or artichokes could make it more interesting, but I was fine with the way it was except I doubled the fennel. Also, I was careful to cook the fennel on medium so that it got a slow cook and didn't need too much oil or became burned. It's really quite simple if you have the ingredients on hand!
Was looking for a quick recipe for dinner and was overjoyed when I saw fennel and chickpeas in combination - to items that have been languishing in my kitchen for probably too long!
I, unfortunately, realized I didn't have olives about halfway through the preparation, but substituted a few capers to give it that briny, salty element.
As a few other people commented, I was surprised at the great combination of flavors with so little spices needed. Also, the orange juice in the couscous really combines well with the rest of the dish, amplifying the great flavors.
Thinking about trying this again with some white wine-soaked raisins in place of capers for a sweeter twist.
Just made this with a few modifications and it was delicious. First, I left out the olives and used a tiny sprinkle of cumin in place of coriander. I also added a touch of minced ginger. After the fennel had softened and carmelized, I added the chickpeas and a little more oil. Once the chickpeas were brown and crispy, I added the cumin, ginger, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Gave that a good stir and then added lemon halves to the pan face down. I let that cook down and then added about a half cup of chicken stock and a pat of butter. Once reduced by about a quarter, I squeezed the caramelized lemons all over the mixture and topped with chopped fennel fronds. So lemony and delish! Next time will try with the olives.