Grilled Fennel with Green Herbed Yogurt

It’s grilling season and this grilled fennel with green herbed yogurt is the perfect reason to get your grill fired up!

Fennel is one of those perfect vegetables, equally delicious served raw in a salad, braised on the stove, or slightly charred on the grill. This sweet grilled fennel partners nicely with the garlicky green herbed yogurt. Grab some fresh baby spinach from your local farm stand to make the green yogurt.

You can use the leftover green herbed yogurt as a spread for sandwiches or a dip for vegetables or pita bread.

Tips

Experiment with herbs for this recipe. I used parsley and dill, but I think other herbs, such as basil, mint or cilantro would be great.
Make sure the herbs and spinach are dry.
If you cannot grill the fennel, roast it in the oven on high heat.

Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this grilled fennel with green herbed yogurt.

Green Herbed Yogurt Ingredients

1 cup mixed herbs, large stems removed
3 ounces washed baby spinach (or large spinach leaves with big spines removed)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large clove of garlic, cut into a few pieces
1 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
Kosher salt to taste (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Fennel Ingredients

2 large fennel bulbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Make the green herbed yogurt. Put the garlic, herbs and olive oil in a food processor and process until well chopped. You might need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides in the middle of the processing.

Add the yogurt and blend well. Add salt, pepper and lemon zest and process until blended. Remove the yogurt from the processor and refrigerate until shortly before using it.

Prepare the fennel. Cut off the fronds and save them. Remove any bruised, tough outside layers from the bulb. Slice the bulbs vertically from top to bottom into about 1/3 to 1/2-inch slices. The bottom of the root will keep the slices intact. Put the slices on a flat grill pan and brush both sides with olive oil.

Grill one side of the fennel for about 5 minutes or until the fennel is starting to brown. Use a spatula to turn the slices over, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and grill them until they start to brown on the other side. They should be slightly tender when you poke a fork into them. Remove the slices from the heat.

Spread a thick layer of green yogurt on a serving platter. Layer the fennel on top and sprinkle it with some of the fennel fronds. Serve with a large, flat spoon to scoop up the sauce with the fennel.