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Fennel, Orange and Olive Salad

According to Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from the gods on Mount Olympus and carried it to earth in a fennel stalk. The aromatic bulb has been a key player in Mediterranean cookery ever since. Fennel is a favorite winter vegetable in Rome, cooked or raw, but the addition of orange, recognized throughout Italy as fennel’s natural partner, is of Sicilian origin. The small brown-purple olives named for Gaeta, a picturesque port town in southern Lazio, are favorites in the capital for cooking and eating. This refreshing salad can go at either end of the meal, as an antipasto or a contorno.

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Fennel, Orange and Olive Salad

Why it works: Fennel and orange work together. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 201 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Fennel, Orange and Olive Salad

Serves 4.

Ingredients

Directions

Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

218Calories
2 gProtein
14 gFat
23 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Orange1 medium (131g)62
Fennel Bulb1/2 bulb (87g)27
White Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Olive1 large (4g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By williamssonoma. Recipe from Open Recipes.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Fennel + orangetop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together201 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Fennel + olivetop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,344 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  3. Orange + olivetop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,456 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  4. Fennel + white peppertop 21% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together43 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Orange + white peppertop 26% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together69 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Swap the white pepper

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (fennel, orange, olive):

  1. Thymefits better
  2. Rosemaryfits better
  3. Tarragonfits better
  4. White pepperthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against fennel, orange, olive. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.