Fennel Gratin
There is something wonderful about a dish that uses very few ingredients and requires very little prep time. I really enjoy fennel but it is a bit hard to serve on its own. It seems like it is mostly used in sauces or in a salad in combination with a bunch of other ingredients. So this dish, which is essentially fennel, steamed in chicken broth and then coated in parmigiano reggiano cheese and then baked is a really nice way to show off the fennel all by itself.
- 2 medium fennel bulbs
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Remove the fronds from the fennel bulbs and cut the fennel into wedges, about eight wedges per bulb. Put the fennel in a 9″x9″ or equivalent size baking dish with the cut side up. Pour the chicken broth over the fennel, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Cover, and put in the oven for about 30 minutes.
Remove the fennel from the oven, uncover, and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the cheese and return to the oven uncovered for an additional 30 minutes.
Despite all the cooking the fennel will still have a bit of crunch to it. This makes a great winter side dish when serving meat or poultry.