Fennel Gratin
The fennel bulb is a great versatile vegetable that lends itself to a huge range of dishes. On its own it makes a great side dish such as this fennel gratin whose beauty is it is prepared so quickly with such a stupendous result.
As a side dish for four you will need
2 Fresh Fennel Bulbs
chop the last of the stalks off the bulb and slice the base – remove any outer leaves if they appear damaged. Cut each bulb into four, hoping the quarters will keep together by the base. Gentle simmer in slightly salted water until they begin to soften, (about 15 minutes). Remove and drain well to remove all moisture.
Place in a very generously buttered ovenproof dish and sprinkle with you favourite finely grated cheese. Parmesan is the traditional; Romano is good; I enjoy Jarlsberg but if push comes to shove, some good old matured cheddar will still work.
Place in a preheated 200°c, bake uncovered for about 20 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to brown, and crisp up.
A quick easy version of this recipe is to simmer the fennel bulbs for longer, drain and then toss in grated cheese and serve.
other ideas for fennel
- Par boiled fennel is a great addition to the Roast Vegetable tray
- Finely shredded in salads
- Goes well in casseroles of all sorts
- Parboiled and then finished on the barbecue
18th March 2005
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