Warm Fennel with Pink Grapefruit

Warm fennel with pink grapefruit and green olives 

Did your jaw drop when you saw a post from me? I know I've been completely slack over the past few months, but I'm hoping to get back into the swing of blogging as I settle down in Nashville. We've been here for right at four weeks now, and I'm starting to get the hang of things. I'll be happier when I'm no longer under-employed, but for now I'll make do by staying busy in the kitchen. Particularly since I can't find a reasonably priced gym. Anyone got some tips for me there? I thought the YMCA would be the way to go, but boy was I wrong. I miss the Y in Winston-Salem something fierce!

Oh yeah. And Tabitha and I have totally changed up our Double Takes. Each week of the month we'll do a different type of recipe to switch things up a bit. The third week of the month (this week) we're picking an ingredient of the month. We both get to choose our own recipes and make whatever we want to with that ingredient. Kinda like Iron Chef America, only not at all. :)

Pink grapefruit is stunningly gorgeous

January's ingredient of the month is Pink Grapefruit! I love grapefruit! One of my not-so-guilty snacks while sitting in front of the TV is a whole pink grapefruit. I'll sit there with a bowl in my lap and remove the peel. Once that is done, I break it in half and then pull each segment out of the tough, bitter membranes before popping the deliciously sour and bitter fruit into my mouth. Oh my.

But I've always wanted to try cooking with grapefruit, too. There is the requisite ambrosia at family functions, but that's not the same thing as cooking. That's fruit salad with coconut and marshmallows. Not the same thing at all.

I searched high and low for a pink grapefruit recipe that intrigued me. I even looked at sweets. I found a scrumptious looking grapefruit cake, but was disappointed that it only contained the juice and the zest, no actual fruit. So I moved on to savory items. And this little gem caught my eye: Warm Shaved Fennel with Pink Grapefruit.

All that juice. Yum!
(And don't worry, I removed that pesky seed before proceeding)

Warm Fennel with Pink Grapefruit

adapted from Ann Burrell

serves 4 as a side

prep time 25 minutes, cook time 2 minutes

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb

1 pink grapefruit

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pinch of salt

1/4 cup slivered cerignola or other big green olives

1/4 cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

1/4 cup picked fennel fronds

Directions:

1. Using a sharp knife, slice the fennel as thin as possible.
2. Cut the bottom and top off of the grapefruit. Using a knife, cut the peel off of the sides, following the curve of the grapefruit and being careful only to cut away the peel and bitter pith. Hold the fruit in 1 hand over a bowl and cut the flesh of the grapefruit away from the membrane to release a wedge. Repeat until all segments are released.
3. In a large saute pan over medium heat coat with extra-virgin olive oil and add the fennel. Season with salt and saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until the fennel is warm and coated with the oil. Remove from heat. Toss in the grapefruit segments, olive slivers and juice and sprinkle with the fennel fronds. Serve immediately.

THOUGHTS:

I dislike how much of the fruit is lost in the sectioning process, but my grapefruit released so much liquid that I did not have to waste another one by juicing it. This recipe comes together in a ridiculously short amount of time and is light and refreshing. The grapefruit and its juice becomes a bit more mellow as the residual heat in the pan warms them. I don't have a mandolin, so I could not shave the fennel properly, but I enjoyed the crunch of the thick slices more than I enjoyed the few pieces that I was able to get extra thin. And the briny olives in with the strong flavors of the grapefruit and fennel? A perfect match!

VERDICT:

It's-a-flavor-party-in-my-mouth: 1 vote!

Head on over to Double the Garlic to see what Tabitha cooked up with pink grapefruit! 

Hehe, I can use my china whenever I darn well feel like it now!