Fennel Gratin
Fennel is very popular in Italian cooking. Growing up there used to always be a bowl of sliced fennel sitting in cold water on the kitchen counter. We would snack on it while preparing the meal.But it was supposed to saved for after the meal for cleansing the palette, as it it is said to aid in digestion. But we just couldn’t resist walking by and grabbing a piece! Fennel is such a wonderful mild veggie! It is really light and fresh and has a hint of sweet mild licorice flavor. It is truly aromatic. I really enjoy it because it can be eaten raw or cooked and tastes so different depending on how it is prepared. You can use it raw salads like in my Fennel Apple &Walnut Salad or cooked like in my Roast Pork Loin with Fennel recipe. It does get sweeter when cooked. This dish is a simple side dish that can go with pretty much any main course you have prepared. It is coated in Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs and baked. The fennel becomes crispy from the breadcrumbs and nutty from the cheese! Amazing!
Fennel Gratin
Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs core removed, sliced thick
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup Italian style breadcrumd
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Wash, core and slice fennel into thick slices.
- Place fennel on a large cookie sheet in as close to one layer as possible. It's okay if the piece overlap a little. Season with salt and pepper
- In a bowl combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning.
- Coat the fennel with breadcrumb mixture.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Mix everything together-this works best with your hands!
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the fennel is tender and the breadcrumbs are a golden brown.
