Great Sides: Roasted Fennel, Chickpeas & Grapes

Wow, wow, wow.

This was an unexpected surprise.

Who knew that canned chickpeas would crisp up when you roast them? and that fennel, grapes and red bell pepper would make a winning combination.

I am in love with fennel, fenouil, finocchio, fanook, whatever you call it. I love it.
When you roast it, it mellows the anise flavor and tastes even better than in its raw state.

Do not skip the grapes here, they create a jammy sauce that coats the veggies once you stir them together.

My taste testers loved this (neighbors, husband, kids on the block).

Watch it disappear.
I served it warm, but it would be great at room temperature too.

Roasted Fennel, Grapes, Red Peppers & Chickpeas:

2 fennel heads, trimmed and sliced into 1/2" slices
1 bunch of red or black seedless grapes (not green)
2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced into 1/2" slices
olive oil & kosher salt

Using 2 heavy rimmed baking sheets, spread out your vegetables with the chickpeas.

Drizzle w/ olive oil and sprinkle w/ kosher salt.

Roast in a 425F oven for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. You want the chickpeas to be brown, and the fennel to be caramelized.

Remove everything with a metal spatula to a bowl and garnish with fennel fronds.

If serving later, drizzle w/ some good olive and a sprinkle of sea salt to freshen it up.

LOVED.